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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.”
-f irst Amendment, United States Constitution
The Progressive
perspective
With Skyler Akins
Democrats fighting
for young people
If you're like
most college students,
you’re sitting in your
over-priced student
housing complex, eating
the worst of foods,
wondering how you're
ever going to pay back
all the money you owe,
plus get a good job to
survive on.
Well, under
democratic leadership,
things are about to
change.
The Very Fabric
J
of my Being
By J. A. Scruggs
President Bush
says forget the kids
I was on the verge
of thinking that my
career of writing in the
paper was over, because
I finally had nothing
that I wanted to write
about. But once again,
I came across one issue
that seemed to irritate
the very fabric of my
being.
While doing my
daily cleaning before I
hit the bed, I was flipping
through the channels
and 1 just happened to
stop on C-SPAN.
The members of the
House of Representatives
were expressing their
outrage on President
Bush’s veto of the
State Children's Health
Insurance Program
proposal.
This bill would
have provided health
insurance to kids of
low-income families,
and added $35 billion to
the budget over a period
21 days to break the habit; becoming a complaint-free campus
By Rebekah Williams
Staff Writer
rebekahlwilliams@hotmail.com
Was the parking lot
a little too full today or
were you late to class
because someone cut you
off on the bypass? If you
answered yes to either
of these questions, then
you probably complained
about your morning to
yourself or someone you
know.
How many times
a day do you complain
or hear someone you
know complaining?
Complaining has become
a big element of our world
today, and even though
you may not realize when
you complain, it still may
have an ill effect on you or
others around you.
A church called Christ
Church Unity in Kansas
The I l()th Congress,
under the leadership
of Speaker Pelosi, has
passed the College
Cost Reduction and
Affordability Act,
cutting student interest
rates in half for college
students, a move that
could only be done under
democratic leadership.
The bill also
includes a provision to
have your student loans
forgiven if you enter
public service.
The Congress
also finally raised the
Federal Minimum Wage
of five years, that could
increase the number of
children covered under
the proposal.
The rationale for the
veto given by President
Bush is what I take the
most concern with. After
researching the veto, 1
discovered that Bush
feels that the bill is too
costly, and it would be
adding families that can
afford to pay for their
own health care, and that
he does not believe in
federal-operated health
care.
He feels that it is
getting away from the
original purpose of the
program.
Thereasonsgiven by
President Bush is "real
cute,” especially the
part about the program
being too costly.
Consider that this is
same administration that
is currently spending
approximately $2 billion
dollars a week or $lO
billion a month on the
War in Iraq, and total
cost of the wars having
City, Mo. is the church
where Pastor Will Bowen
had an enormous plan.
Bowen told his
church members he
wanted to make the
world a complaint-free
place. To prove he was
serious, Bowen passed
out purple bracelets that
read “A Complaint Free
World” to each church
member and offered
them a challenge.
He told them that
for 21 days they were
not allowed to voice
one single complaint
and if they did they
would need to switch
their bracelet to the
other wrist. The main
goal is to wear your
bracelet for 21 days on the
same wrist.
He says he chose 21
days because scientists
believe it takes that long to
to $7.50 an hour, a raise
that was way overdue
for America's working
class. Productivity is
at an all-time high, so
America’s minimum
wage should also rise
with it.
Congress is
proposing, under a veto
threat from President
Bush, a huge increase
in the State Children's
Health Insurance
Program. which
sponsors Peachkids in
Georgia. The additional
money will cover
families with children
that make too much to
qualify for programs
like Peachkids. but not
enough to afford private
insurance.
The program has
received endorsements
from religious and
children's advocacy
approached a hall of a
trillion dollars according
to the Congressional
Research Service. Some
is being funded b\
money borrowed from
China, which means
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interest rates. While President health cost of veterans
But all of sudden Bush vetoes a bill to reaching S2OO billion
we get an inclination to help underprivileged dollars or more.
form anew habit.
Since that Sunday
morning when Bowen
explained his new idea, he
has appeared on the “Oprah
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Show”, the “Today Show”
as well as had an article
in “People” magazine.
The number of bracelets
ordered thus far is at
Opinion
organizations across
the country, and
it is ashamed that
Republicans are once
again trying to defeat
health insurance for
America's children.
We should all
be proud of the great
work that the new
democratic majority
is doing. They are
once again proving
that they are the party
ol the people, not the
powerful.
This is the first
time in modern
American historv that
a Congress is investing
so much in America's
young people, because
w e are the future of this
country, and there is
no better place to invest
than in the future.
I look forward
to expanding the
worry about finances.
The veto of this bill
proves that President
Bush's priorities are not
in line with the American
people, especially not
with American children.
5,907,266 and climbing.
There have been
bracelets ordered from all
over the world including
Nigeria, Hong Kong,
Photo courtesy of oprah.com
Poland, India, Israel, South
Africa, Nairobi, Egypt,
China, Canada and of
course the United States.
The church’s website
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democratic tidal wave
even more in the
Congress, and to the
White House, and 1
hope that you too will
kids, his administration
is currently requesting
$l9O billion for the
Iraq and Afghanistan
con flicl.
This does not
mention the long term
claims that they have
processed bracelet requests
for drug rehab members as
well as families, bands,
sports teams and many
more.
These purple bracelets
are even being worn on
our very own campus.
Phi Mu Sorority ordered
the bracelets three weeks
ago.
At a formal meeting.
Phi Mu members were
each given a bracelet
and asked to participate
in this world-wide
movement. It’s not quite
been 21 days, but some
of the members say they
are diligently trying to
break the habit.
“I know I complain
and it not only brings
myself down but others
as well, so I am really
pushing for the 21 days,"
Phi Mu member Rachel
join America’s biggest
growing family, the
Democratic Party.
according to Harvard
economists.
Furthermore, how
can President Bush
disagree with federal
health care when he
himself is a recipient
of it. paid for by the
American people (tax
dollars). 1 am willing to
bet that he can afford his
own health care policy.
He also mentions.
that this program is
getting away from
its original purpose;
apparently he fails to
realize that we are in
an expensive war that
has gotten away from
its original purpose, the
same purposes which
were proven untrue.
I would like to
see our society move
to a point where we
value life more so
than death, because I
see it in the media, in
our homes, and in the
current administration.
We equate a person's
priorities by what they
tend to spend their money
on. The same should go
for our government.
What 1 see is an
administration that
would rather spend its
tax payer’s money on
the decline of a foreign
people rather than the
prosperity of its ow n.
Where is the
reasoning in that?
Williams said. "Although
I have had to start over
a few times I can feel a
change.”
If you want to
participate in this 21
day challenge, all you
have to do is go to www.
acomplaintfreeworld.org
and request a bracelet.
The church only asks
for a “love offering,”
meaning that you are not
requested to pay for these
bracelets, but if you would
like to make a donation
then they would greatly
appreciate it.
Perhaps if more
students here at the
University of West
Georgia took place in this
movement, we might be
able to have a "Complaint
free Campus” and the
complaints of parking,
classes and tests will all be
a blur of the past.