Capitalism promotes culture of dishonesty, cheating
In Thursday’s column “”The end of entitlement?”” Paul Cervantes makes a number of astute observations about the sham attempts to bail out Wall Street and the culture that reared those who have profited so grossly from the present economic mess. As long as the CEOs and executives who masterminded this mess receive big bonuses provided by bailout tax dollars, while the oil corporations continue to rake in exorbitant profits, not much will change.
But what should one expect from the economic system called capitalism? It’s a system intended to benefit capitalists, not that which most of us are: those who trade our labor to capitalists for a paycheck. Why should the system change when those who own and profit from it are doing just fine?
What we need to realize is that the system itself is not based on any logic – i.e., Adam Smith’s “”invisible hand”” will somehow balance out the system – other than profit by any means possible. As such, capitalism itself is not concerned with any bugbears like conscience, morality, or ethics, nor is it at all consistent with the aims of a democracy. The only means of controlling this economic system is through legislation, legislation enforced by people in government with consciences who care about morality and ethics.
For example, due to past legislative acts we now have mandated eight-hour work days instead of the 16 and then 12-hour work days typical of the 19th century. To trust the system as is to be fair and balanced is foolish, as the founders realized when the Declaration of Independence was drafted, a document which clearly states that the purpose of our government is to “”secure”” our “”rights”” and “”effect”” our “”safety and happiness.””
Not too long ago a study that involved the UA and several other major universities revealed that cheating is most prevalent among business students and that few if any of these students have any moral or ethical qualms about cheating. The results of this study should shock no one: many of these business students, after all, hope one day to make a killing on Wall Street.
The system of capitalism doesn’t care how one profits – whether it be by enslaving human beings as was done in centuries past, by selling salmonella-laced peanut butter, or by cheating. And cheating can take many forms: from cheating the people’s government of tax dollars to cheating workers out of retirement investments to cheating under-paid teachers with mandated furloughs.
Greg Grewell
English graduate student/doctoral candidate
Money shouldn’t be wasted on WRC in time of crisis
It troubles me to see an article in the Daily Wildcat entitled “”Women’s Resource center seeks funding, director,”” especially in the midst of an economic crisis. If, according to the Women’s Resource Center co-director Tiffany Tedesco, the WRC does “”comprehensive sex education that is proven to reduce unwanted pregnancies, STIs, eventually abortion – and without putting a negative spin on abortion,”” then does not this mean the WRC puts a positive spin on abortion? Is this not advocacy?
It is doubtful whether the WRC even refers to the Women’s Pregnancy Center (http://www.wpctucson.com/) near campus on Speedway Boulevard, which offers free support for women and their children. With the UA wanting more money for the WRC, money that could have gone to academic programs, it is no wonder we are bankrupt.
Alan Aversa
optical sciences master’s student
Mall display presents accurate view of abortion
This is in response to James Jeffries’s letter stating that the pro-life display, put on by Justice for All, this past week presented “”25-foot propagandistic billboards with Photoshopped carnage.”” (Mailbag, Feb. 4, 2009) It is my understanding that many other organizations similar to JFA use images of the same kind. If Mr. Jeffries is right and these groups are presenting false representations of abortion, then why haven’t we heard about it in the media?
Why hasn’t Planned Parenthood denounced these photos? The truth is that, pictures strike a cord with people. As a part of the exhibit there are images of the Nazi Holocaust, which show the atrocities of what happened in Germany. I highly doubt that anyone will deny the validity of those photos. In order that people did not deny the Holocaust, like Mr. Jeffries does with the abortion photos, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (right after visiting the “”horror camps””) dispatched a team of reporters to take pictures of the concentration camps in order that “”the evidence should be immediately placed before the American public in a fashion that would leave no room for cynical doubt.””
This begs the question why anyone would show these pictures if they were not the truth? I pose this question to anyone who believes, like Mr. Jeffries that these pictures are false: Would you deny photos from Auschwitz if someone showed them to you in 1941? The reason that one might deny the authenticity of the abortion pictures is that they do not want to believe either, this is what a baby looks like after an abortion or they do not want to be taken from their comfort zone. This is the most common surgery performed in America. Why deny what happens behind those closed doors?
Patrick Copeland
accounting junior