Spring Break
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Forum
Parking
Too expensive to drive and park
While I realize that all facilities on campus must find ways to fund themselves, increasing parking fees strikes me as rather ludicrous. At a point where many of us can barely afford the fuel required to travel to campus and home again, the idea of paying an even more exorbitant fee for a less-than-adequate set of facilities is unacceptable.
As far as the other universities listed for comparison, the only one that potentially rates a real-world comparison is the University of Oregon, as the city surrounding all the other universities listed is much more constricted and urban than Corvallis, which lends itself to a higher premium on space.
I transferred to OSU from a private university in Daytona Beach, Fla., which had an incredible amount of parking available, so much so that I never had to do the round-a-bout to find a parking space as I often have to do here. The cost for an annual parking permit there? $35.
I understand that public universities can't always compete with private universities on some levels, but such a price difference coupled with far less value for what students pay here is ridiculous. I can only hope that there is enough of a concerted outcry to stop this attempt to bleed the bloodless.
Richard Ritchey,
Corvallis, OR
Question of choice
God isn't part of argument
I would like to respond to the article entitled "Obama must remember the importance of life" from the Feb. 12 issue of The Daily Barometer. The main point in this argument seems to be that only God can decide if abortion is right or wrong, and God thinks it's wrong, so Obama better listen to him. It annoys me to no end when those who believe in God speak as though everyone else does. And further, how do we as spectators even know what God they are talking about? Most of the time, we can make a pretty good guess just based on what country we are in.
However, that still doesn't solve a central problem with such arguments. First, how about proving that God exists? Find me conclusive empirical evidence, and stop answering every unanswered human question with the word "God." If you go through the article and simply substitute the word "God" for "flying spaghetti monster," the meaning and argument remain exactly the same. From a person standing outside the God bubble, this is what it is like to read articles like this.
The fact is that there is no more empirical evidence for God than there is for the flying spaghetti monster, Santa Claus or the creature living under your bed. If there is a Christian God who cares deeply about abortion, then perhaps he should have added a piece to the Bible that says, "Oh by the way, abortion is wrong." But then, that would just be too easy wouldn't it?
Eric Rubey,
senior in psychology
Too expensive to drive and park
While I realize that all facilities on campus must find ways to fund themselves, increasing parking fees strikes me as rather ludicrous. At a point where many of us can barely afford the fuel required to travel to campus and home again, the idea of paying an even more exorbitant fee for a less-than-adequate set of facilities is unacceptable.
As far as the other universities listed for comparison, the only one that potentially rates a real-world comparison is the University of Oregon, as the city surrounding all the other universities listed is much more constricted and urban than Corvallis, which lends itself to a higher premium on space.
I transferred to OSU from a private university in Daytona Beach, Fla., which had an incredible amount of parking available, so much so that I never had to do the round-a-bout to find a parking space as I often have to do here. The cost for an annual parking permit there? $35.
I understand that public universities can't always compete with private universities on some levels, but such a price difference coupled with far less value for what students pay here is ridiculous. I can only hope that there is enough of a concerted outcry to stop this attempt to bleed the bloodless.
Richard Ritchey,
Corvallis, OR
Question of choice
God isn't part of argument
I would like to respond to the article entitled "Obama must remember the importance of life" from the Feb. 12 issue of The Daily Barometer. The main point in this argument seems to be that only God can decide if abortion is right or wrong, and God thinks it's wrong, so Obama better listen to him. It annoys me to no end when those who believe in God speak as though everyone else does. And further, how do we as spectators even know what God they are talking about? Most of the time, we can make a pretty good guess just based on what country we are in.
However, that still doesn't solve a central problem with such arguments. First, how about proving that God exists? Find me conclusive empirical evidence, and stop answering every unanswered human question with the word "God." If you go through the article and simply substitute the word "God" for "flying spaghetti monster," the meaning and argument remain exactly the same. From a person standing outside the God bubble, this is what it is like to read articles like this.
The fact is that there is no more empirical evidence for God than there is for the flying spaghetti monster, Santa Claus or the creature living under your bed. If there is a Christian God who cares deeply about abortion, then perhaps he should have added a piece to the Bible that says, "Oh by the way, abortion is wrong." But then, that would just be too easy wouldn't it?
Eric Rubey,
senior in psychology
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