Palin is a quitter
(“Is Sarah Palin smart enough to be president?” Danish Plan, Dec. 2.) Last week, Paul Danish asked whether Sarah Palin is smart enough to be president. His question turned out to be more rhetorical than sincere. After drawing in his liberal Boulder audience, he pulls a bait and switch, suggesting virtues are more important than “smarts” when judging presidential potential.
As a measure of virtues, Danish uses Kipling’s stirring, patriarchal (and, for the record, imperial) poem “If.” I have to admit, I’ve always had a soft spot for “If ” and for most hero scripts, but I’ve never considered Sarah Palin a potential hero, especially one who embodies the old-fashioned integrity Kipling conjures in “If.” Specifically, I don’t think she has demonstrated the ability to “fill the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds of distance run,” since she quit halfway through her term as Alaskan governor.
But poems are tricky job descriptions, and Danish and Palin admirers might quibble with me here. So I propose a very clear test for potential presidents: Have you ever taken on the job of chief executive for a U.S. state or federal government body and refused to fulfill that contract?
Mary Lee Geary/via Internet
Help CU students
Finding a job is no easy task in this state of economy, however we feel far too many CU students falsely believe that graduating with degree in hand will provide effortless job opportunities. But how far can a simple degree really get you? In reality, and in many of the competitive jobs students desire, having a degree is an essential. Having a degree does more to camouflage an applicant than set them apart in these situations. Internships, on the other hand, stand out to employers.
Providing the hands-on, specific knowledge and skills, internships are highly respected by potential employers.
As reported by Sage Online Journals, students participating in internships during college reported less time to obtain their first job, more pay, as well as greater overall job satisfaction than those who did not participate in internships. For information regarding internships at CU, the process of obtaining an internships, or any questions, CU students can navigate to our Facebook page at tinyurl.com/344msxu, or visit CU Career Services at tinyurl. com/23ggx6g.
Nathan Simpson, Logan Doublin, Kyle Trowbridge, CU students/Boulder
Healthy kids eat plants
This week, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act — the first major bipartisan bill enacted since the election by a deeply polarized Congress. The act will replace junk food in school lunches and vending machines with more healthful options.
Several jurisdictions have taken similar action. The Hawaii, California, New York and Florida legislatures passed resolutions recommending vegan school options. Last year, the Baltimore City public school system became the first in the nation to offer its 80,000 students a weekly meat-free lunch. According to the School Nutrition Association, 65 percent of U.S. schools now offer vegetarian lunch options.
In the past, USDA has used the National School Lunch Program as a dumping ground for surplus meat and dairy commodities. Not surprisingly, 90 percent of American children consume excessive amounts of fat, and only 15 percent eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. These early dietary flaws become lifelong addictions, raising the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Those who care about our children’s health should demand healthful plant-based school meals, snacks and vending machine items. Additional information is available at healthyschoollunches.org, choiceusa.net, and schoolnutrition.org.
Stanley Silver/Boulder
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