This week we’ve shed light on the limited campus parking, made a case for economic patience and discussed the usefulness of academic advisers. At the same time, the rest of the Pac-12 has been opining about sham candidates, the need for alternative energy sources and the meaning of being a Libertarian.

The State Press

Arizona State University

In last year’s midterm elections, Arizona Republicans ran no fewer than three fake Green Party candidates, hoping to bleed liberal contenders in close races.

The incredibly cynical idea was that left-leaning voters, being interested enough to vote but not enough to research candidates, might check green instead of blue just because it was available. These “Greens,” in most elections, had no chance of winning. But whatever votes they got came straight from Democrats.
So Republican activists, including former Arizona Speaker of the House Jim Weiers and twice-disgraced former legislator Steve May, found a grab bag of homeless people, ex-cons and college kids to stand for office.

As offensive as that scheme should be to voters, it was also fairly realistic. With big federal offices at stake, even well-informed voters choose some local jobs by party.
So in a world in which we rarely ask our leaders to be noble, voter fraud struck state politicians as a legitimate tactical decision.

— “Arizona Republicans run fake candidates to help bad ones” by John Gaylord

The Daily Trojan

University of Southern California

As college students living in Southern California, chances are we’ve all heard plenty about alternative energy sources. No doubt, most of us already carry biases regarding wind turbines, solar panels and biofuels. … Alternative energy development lacks serious obstacles when compared to other causes. Lunar exploration, for example, has been all but abandoned by the government. Stem cell research is blocked by die-hards taking moral issue at every turn. A surprisingly visible controversy surrounding new energy, meanwhile, is the cries of outrage from those upset about its supposed aesthetic failings. No one can logically claim that the creation of energy — essential to practically every single aspect of our daily lives — is a worthless endeavor. New energy’s biggest hurdles are resistance to creative technology and too much faith in the longevity of fossil fuels. What the public doesn’t seem to understand is that just because we’re not quite yet out of resources, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t search for alternatives … the possibilities for new energy are endless and appear to be extremely practical.

— “Alternative energy is essential” by Francesca Bessey

The Daily Barometer

Oregon State University

Has anyone ever shared the radical Libertarian position with you before? The very position many Tea Party members and Ron Paul followers aren’t totally aware they are championing … Libertarianism in one sentence: You don’t own anyone else. But what does this really mean?  Robert Nozick, the philosophical founder of libertarianism, sums up the root of the theory with the principle of self-preservation: We are the owners of ourselves. His argument for a free society depends on his conception of personal liberty, and John Locke’s conception of property rights…this is one of the most important debates in America today, and most people aren’t even aware that we’re having it. The pendulum swings between the centrist Democrats and the trending farther-right Republicans seems to be the parameters for determining what the role of government is … The Libertarian argument suggests it’s morally wrong to take from someone who has more money than they could possibly spend in five lifetimes, to feed and clothe the sick and hungry. By this view the top 10 percent ought not be coerced (read: taxed) by the middle 80 percent to share with the bottom 10 percent. In an ideal libertarian society, wealth is earned freely and fairly by co-equal members … The ultimate refutation to the pure libertarian point of view is historical. Want to live in a libertarian society? Move to Somalia or Arizona. Want to live in a society that has an interest in finding the correct balance between personal liberty and the common good? Look no farther than the United States.  

— “What does it mean to be Libertarian?” by Thomas McElhinny