Pass

ASUA learning from past missteps

ASUA Sen. Taylor Bilby ran for and won her position on a platform that included plans for a campus-wide “”arts and culture”” festival. The event sounded to a lot of skeptical students like another potential concert debacle, a la the ill-fated Last Smash Platinum Bash of 2009.

It seems like this year’s Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate is taking concerns like those seriously, as the body has failed to approve funding for the festival twice, and tabled discussion twice more. Fellow senators have asked Bilby for further details on the plan, including a timeline, other funding sources that could be counted on, and whether the focus of the festival was too broad or “”overreaching.””

While it can be frustrating to watch the student governing body seemingly fritter away money on pet projects, this group of leaders is clearly taking its responsibility to students seriously. Rather than blindly push ahead with ill-planned projects, senators are asking for more details before they approve funding. For listening to constituents and acting like a legitimate governing body, ASUA gets a pass.

Fail

Failin’ Palins

The Palin family is the crack cocaine of the political junkie universe — low-grade, but capable of producing a pretty strong high. This week’s hit came from 16-year-old Willow Palin, who spouted off a slew of curse words and homophobic slurs on her Facebook page after a young man who attended the Palins’ high school made a negative comment about the new TLC show “”Sarah Palin’s Alaska.”” Older sister Bristol Palin got into the fray along with Willow, calling various Facebook users “”haters”” and accusing them of “”talk(ing) shit.”” Bristol later apologized for both girls’ language on her own Facebook page, but not before gossip site TMZ got hold of screenshots of the smack down.

It’s way too easy to fail the Palin daughters, who behaved badly, but not too far out of character for young women their age. Willow’s rant, in particular, featured disturbingly normal language for a mouthy 16-year-old.

Instead, the Palin parents’ response (or, so far, lack thereof) must be called into question. Sarah Palin has staked her political reputation on the “”regular gal”” with a regular family persona she has so carefully cultivated. Sadly, Willow’s hateful language plays into that persona in a sordid, if fitting, way. With the media buzzing about cyber-bullying and anti-gay slurs in schools, Willow Palin just put a face to that kind of behavior for millions of people through her deplorable, but ultimately completely average, online rant. And so far, her famous mom hasn’t come forth to decry the language her daughter used, or explain why her “”normal American family”” has learned to call people such awful, hurtful names.

And so, for countless reasons, Willow’s actions and her mother’s lack thereof earn an enormous fail.

RIP Four Loko

Four Loko changed the lives of all who chose to enjoy it.

No longer did they have to clean shot glasses or constantly replenish their collection of red cups. Gone were the days of meticulously keeping an eye on checking account balances to help them choose between buying good alcohol or Vitali.

Imagine it: a single can that cost a mere $2.87 and was just 660 calories that seemingly got you drunker than 12 beers or six shots. Finally, an alcoholic beverage that your mind, waistline and wallets could all enjoy.

But now the Food and Drug Administration wants to take Four Loko away. Apparently, if you drink too much of it you make bad decisions, don’t realize how drunk you are and risk alcohol poisoning.

But isn’t that the case with all kinds of alcohol?

Why are people blaming Four Loko rather than the fools who thought drinking too much of it was a good idea? Do they really think banning Four Loko will keep kids from getting alcohol poisoning?

If the FDA had done its homework and shown that Four Loko itself was worth banning because of the health risks it posed, the response might be understandable. But instead, it gave into media and parental pressures without taking the time to understand the problem or its implications fully.

For a lame quick fix to a perennial problem, the FDA’s crusade against Four Loko gets a fail.

-Editorials are determined by the Daily Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Heather  Price-Wright, Luke Money, Colin Darland, and Steven Kwan. They can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu