12

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T h e P u r d u e Brown’s Victory In

Review
Massachusetts
Will the Obama Admin-
istration adjust course
or continue on its cur-
rent path of fundamental
A Journal of Conservative Thought and Opinion transformation? What
does it mean for the fu-
ture of conservatism ?
Volume 7, Issue 4 | February 2010

Governor Daniels Asks State Schools to Trim Budgets

pg 10

3 17 14
Conservatism ITaP Not At Fault An Administration
For Break-Ins of Broken Promises
In A Nut Shell A campus computer rob- Campaign pledges against
In a semester long series, bery over winter break raising taxes for the mid-
we take a look at politi- has frustrated students, dle class become difficult
cal Conservatism. What but is it really fair to blame during Obama’s second
is it and what are its ITaP? We take a look at year. Did the Obama cam-
defining principles? both sides of the issue. paign mislead voters?
2 February, 2010 The Purdue Review

Letter From the Editor-in-Chief

Join The Purdue Review Greetings,

Thank you for picking up the first Purdue Review issue of the spring
The Purdue Review is looking for staff writers, columnists,
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photographers, section editors, copy editors, layout editors, and
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If you’re interested in joining the Purdue Review, please con- tradition. Our publication is not a newspaper, but rather our analysis of
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Believe it or not, this is an incredible time to be a conservative. The
GOP won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey last year, and just
a few weeks ago Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts Senate
T h e P u r d u e seat long held by Ted Kennedy. People all across America, regardless of

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with the direction in which Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are taking this coun-
try.
It doesn’t take extraordinary people to make an extraordinary differ-
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Scott Sowers, Publisher
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The Purdue Review
Conservatism In A Nut Shell
Following the election of Barack
Obama and Democratic gains in the
House and Senate in 2008, many
political pundits proclaimed that
the Conservative era of governance
was over. Americans, they claimed,
had thoroughly rejected Conserva-
tive ideas because those ideas had
been demonstrably disproven for
they had led to the greatest eco-
nomic downturn since the Great
Depression. The only problem with
this analysis is that the ideas in
question are not really Conserva-
tive ideas.
For many people, especially
those in Generation Y, their main
experience with governance has
been the government of the last
decade which, though primarily
dominated by Republicans, was not
necessarily Conservative, but a hy-
brid of Conservate ideas (e.g., low
taxes) and Progressive ideas (e.g.,
government as the engine of eco-
nomic growth) which had disas-
trous effects. Additionally, we have
not seen an overwhelmingly popu-
lar Conservative spokesperson
since Newt Gingrich in the early
1990’s.
It is no surprise then that many
Americans do not have a good
grasp of what Conservatism really
is. It’s not that Conservatism is too
complicated for most people to un-
derstand, or that it has not been
explained well enough, for Conser-
vatism is something that the ma-
jority of Americans inherently un-
derstands and agrees with. Rather,
Conservatism has not really been
explained at all for quite some time
and, more importantly, has not
been implemented or adhered to
by those in Government who claim
to be Conservative.
Our goal then, for the rest of the
semester, is to explain the Conser-
vative philosophy in a way that
many people have probably not
heard since the Reagan years. We
will attempt explain what we be-
lieve Conservatism really is and
what the main tenets of Conserva-
tism are. Despite the common per-
ception, there is more to Conserva-
tism than lowering taxes, repealing
Roe v. Wade, and fighting wars in
the Middle East. In fact, this is as an
extremely poor representation of
what Conservatism.
In this issue, we will be discuss-
ing the definition of Conservatism
and two of its most important te-
nets: the origin of human rights
and the proper scope and power of
government. In the next two issues
we will be discussing the power of
individuals, the role of government,
economics and the sanctity of life.
If you wish to contribute your
thoughts on this series or wish to
berate us for our “small-minded”
thinking, please e-mail us at edi-
tor@purduereview.com or contact
us via our website at http://www.
purduereview.com/contact
Conservatism
Defined
By Scott Sowers
Conservatism is defined in
many ways by politicians and pun-
dits, but what does it really mean?
When people think “Conservative”
they often think of literal diction-
ary definition. This is how the me-
dia and the Progressives/Liberals
have tried to portray Conservatism.
In fact, this is how many Republi-
cans have portrayed it. Since this is
a popular starting point for defin-
ing conservatism, we’ll start there
as well and attempt to break it
down and explain why it is really
an inaccurate portrayal.
According to Merriam-Webster
Online, Conservatism is defined as
the “disposition in politics to pre-
serve what is established.” This is
generally taken to mean that Con-
servatives are generally resistive
to change and progress and wish to
maintain the status quo and institu-
tions that currently exist. This defi-
nition of Conservatism, however,
is largely inaccurate. You’ll notice
that, in these articles, we capitalize
Conservative and Conservatism be-
cause we are referring to a specific
political philosophy and not a gen-
eral definition.
It is true that Conservatives are
generally more conservative, in the
strict sense of the definition, when
it comes to societal change and
Government action than Liberals,
but Conservatives are not opposed
to change and they do not wish to
always maintain (or conserve) the
status quo. Conservatism
does not aim to con-
serve the current
structure of so-
ciety, but rath-
er an idea that
permeated
the thinking
of our Found-
ing Fathers,
which at the
time was con-
sidered quite
liberal.
Conserva-
tism, therefore,
would more accu-
rately be named Clas-
sical Liberalism. For
the purpose of
simplicity,
we’ll
Leading Conservative intellectual of our time, Charles Krauthammer
February, 2010 3
continue to describe our politi-
cal philosophy as Conservative,
but this does lead to an important
question: What is Classical Liberal-
ism?
Classical Liberalism (i.e., Con-
servatism) is the idea that our pow-
er and our rights come from God,
and we then, via a democratic pro-
cess, grant some of that power to
governments. It is the idea that in-
dividuals, not government have the
power and responsibility to drive
social and economic progress; that
government works best when it is
as small, local, and unobtrusive as
possible; that all life, at all stages, is
meaningful; and that compassion
and charity cannot be legislated.
As Conservatives, we be-
lieve that these ideas
are timeless and will
never become out-
dated. Though it is
philosophy rooted
in history and ex-
perience, it is a
forward looking
and holistic polit-
ical philosophy.
See “Conserva-
tism...” on pg. 4
 4 February, 2010
Conservatism...
From Page 3
Although specific policies must
change and adapt to the present,
the basic tenets of Conservatism, in
our view, will always be applicable
to the needs of society. We believe
that these ideas, which are based
more on experience and intuition
as opposed to theoretical ponder-
ings, provide the answers to pov-
erty, hunger, and other ailments of
society. We believe that society will
advance and prosper when Con-
servative policies are implemented
and philosophies are adhered to.
There are many prevalent myth
concerning Conservatism that need
to be dispelled. Conservatives are
often portrayed as greedy, racist,
homophobic, xenophobic, closed
minded, white, rich people who
hate the poor and the planet. This
is where many Liberals and Pro-
gressives are mistaken. This mis-
conception is most likely the result
of our lack of support for legislating
or regulating, through government,
these concepts. We oppose such
legislation because we know that
it won’t have the effect intended by
its proponents. Moreover, we don’t
support Conservative principles
and policies because we believe
that they will make us more pros-
perous, but because we believe that
they will allow everyone to become
more prosperous. We will cover the
specifics of these myths in forth-
coming articles.
Progressives claim to support
freedom and liberty (and many
undoubtedly believe they do), but
you cannot have more freedom
and more government at the same
time—the two ideas are diametri-
cally opposed to each other. On the
political binary scale lies absolute
and totalitarian government on
the far left side and total anarchy
on the far right side. Conservatism
is set as close to the right side of
the spectrum as possible so as to
limit government to the fullest ex-
tent without resulting in disorder,
chaos, and the retardation and
The Purdue Review
eventual breakdown
of societal progress.
We understand that
some government
is necessary, but we
also know, as did our
Founders, that too
much government
will restrict societal
progress and prosper-
ity.
Whereas Progres-
sives maintain that
Conservatives (and
philosophies right of
center, as described
above) are stupid and
void of intellectual
thought (e.g. George
W. Bush, Sarah Palin,
George H.W. Bush,
Ronald Regan, Ger-
ald Ford), Conserva-
tives believe that Pro-
gressives are merely
wrong. It is possible
for two people to look
at the same data and
come to different re-
sult without one of
them being stupid.
Conservatives are not
stupid or misguided;
we just have a differ-
ent world view and
philosophy which
guide our thought processes.
Our convictions and strict ad- The Origin of tory Channel, is that this is the doc-
ument that gives and defines what
herence to Conservatism do not
make us crazy or extreme “right- Human Rights rights we have as human beings.
There are two vital concepts that
wingers;” they make us passion- By Rohan Johnson are often not acknowledged. These
ate. We don’t intend to create a concepts are those which we as
perfect society or utopia, but we In the beginning, all of human- Conservatives believe to be some
do believe that Conservatism will kind was endowed by our Creator of the most important.
lead to a more perfect society than with certain unalienable Rights. The signers, who wrote and
political philosophies which argue Among these are Life, Liberty, and signed the Declaration of Indepen-
governments and collective groups the pursuit of Happiness. These dence, were clear in their belief that
will. Our goal in this series is not crucial words, which hold a key there were antecedent principles,
to convince Progressives or Liber- position in our Declaration of In- fundamental rights that do not de-
als that they are wrong (though we dependence, are often repeated, pend on the will of the people or
do believe they are) but rather to and even more often overlooked. the will of any government. Essen-
convince them that Conservatism The notion commonly highlighted tial rights such as Life, Liberty, and
is not a philosophy of hate, greed, in public grade schools, university
stagnation, and backward thinking. courses, and the all-divulging His- See “Conservatism...” on pg. 5
The Purdue Review
Conservatism...
From Page 4
the Pursuit of Happiness were be-
stowed upon us by our Creator and
Sustainer rather than an elected or
presiding ruler. The framers of the
Constitution, and even more pre-
cisely the Bill of Rights, were not
establishing our rights or “giving”
us our rights as some world views
may present. Rather, they were
documenting the restrictions that
the government is to be held to as
given by the will of the people who
elect them.
As Conservatives, we believe
that God-given rights like Life, Lib-
erty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
are important. But we also believe
that there are also several other
antecedent rights that have existed
prior to the creation of the United
States Constitution. The signers
explicitly stated that “[Americans]
are endowed by their Creator with
certain Inalienable Rights that
among these are Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness.” It is no
minor matter that the framers used
the phrase “among these.” They
did not believe that our God-given
rights are exclusively those listed;
but rather, they believed that those
were only a sample of the several
other rights which only our divine
Creator can bequeath. These rights
existed without the consent of ei-
ther the Constitution or those who
created it.
The concept of the existence of
antecedent rights was central in
the minds of the framers. They un-
derstood the threat of the notion
that a government is entitled to
distribute rights in place of a Cre-
ator. The framers even went as far
as to exclude the Bill of Rights from
the first draft of the Constitution.
Later, when the Bill of Rights was
added, the 9th amendment was
also put into play. The 9th amend-
ment rejects the view that the Con-
stitution enumerates all the rights
of individuals as against the federal
government. The 9th amendment
states clearly that “the enumera-
tion in the Constitution, of certain
rights, shall not be construed to
deny or disparage others retained
by the people.” This section of the
text proves that the framers be-
lieved that it is not the government
that assigns us our rights. Rather it
is God, and God alone, who is able
to give and take away any rights.
The words of these documents
serve as the basis for the tried
and true Conservative belief that
“We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are creat-
ed equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.”
- Thomas Jefferson
we cannot have more government
control and maintain our freedom
simultaneously. This is a tested
trade off that must not be forgot-
ten lest we slip into the hands of
an over-controlling government.
We have seen examples of this in
our life time in countries like Cuba,
Venezuela, and Iran. We have a per-
fect historical example of a people
who recognized this balance and
took their country back in 1776.
To be true to where we come from,
and ensure that our destination is
promising, we must be sure to pro-
tect the manuscripts in which our
freedom is documented. We must
sustain the words of our Founding
Fathers with strict interpretation
that is both unchanging and appli-
cable.
Part of preserving our Consti-
tution is applying its restraints
and provisions to every law that is
passed through state and federal
legislation. For example, using a
purely Conservative interpretation
of the Constitution, one may infer
that Roe v. Wade is not unconstitu-
tional simply on the grounds that it
takes away the God-granted right
of Life. But instead because the
new “right” that is created by Roe
v. Wade upsets the delicate consti-
tutional balance. From a Conserva-
tive perspective, only the preserva-
tion of this constitutional balance
would justify a court conjuring a
new constitutional right. Doing
otherwise violates the premise
that the Constitution puts in place
a balance of powers and rights that
the courts should respect and con-
serve.
A result in this lack of balance is
displayed in the current reality that
we face in the debacle of nominat-
ing Supreme Court Justices. Rather
than nominating Justices who are
suited to interpret the Constitu-
tion strictly and justly, judges are
being chosen based on their views
on abortion. If Roe v. Wade had not
been passed, and the courts upheld
the right of the states, as mandated
by the Constitution, to legislate on
the legality of abortion, the balance
would not be disrupted. Instead,
February, 2010 5
the debate would now be handled
by state legislators, vying to vote to
represent the people by whom they
were elected.
Real Conservative judges are
those who allow their interpreta-
tion of the Constitution to reflect
their world view rather than allow-
ing their world view to reflect their
interpretation of the Constitution.
They do not legislate from the
bench; rather, they allow the politi-
cians in the legislature to have po-
litical debates over political issues
in a political forum as consensually
elected by the people.
The principles and ideas of our
Founding documents are exactly
what modern day Conservatives
seek to conserve. When it comes
down to it, Conservatism isn’t
about twisting history to suit our
personal needs or desires. It’s not
about making money or trying to
conquer the world. Instead, we
seek only to interpret the docu-
ments on which our country was
based in the way that they were in-
tended to be interpreted. It is with
this passion and purpose that we
will continue to sustain the free-
dom and excellence of this greatest
nation on God’s green earth.
Limited
Government
By Aaron Anspaugh
In political campaigns, candi-
dates are always talking about
the size of government. Some say
more government, others say less.
Some say smart government, and
others say no government at all.
As Conservatives, we often claim
to be for “small” or “limited” gov-
ernment. But what do these terms
mean? When Conservatives say
“small government”, what we really
mean is “small enough to fulfill the
See “Conservatism...” on pg. 6
 6 February, 2010
Conservatism...
From Page 5
core responsibilities of the govern-
ment, at the proper level, without
infringing on personal liberty.” It
is just easier to say “small govern-
ment” because our government has
strayed so incredibly
far from those bare ne-
cessities upon which
our nation was found-
ed. As Conservatives,
we believe that govern-
ment does indeed have
a purpose, but that
purpose is specific, de-
fined, and delegated to
different levels so that
no single area becomes
too powerful.
What exactly should
a government do? A
short answer would
be: as little as possible.
Contrary to what some
might think, this state-
ment does not imply
that conservatism pro-
motes anarchy. What it
does imply is that there
is a proper level of gov-
ernment. Any more or
any less will lead to un-
desirable results. An
intricate balance must
be struck between the
power of the govern-
ment and the liberty of
the people. To achieve
this goal, one must first
understand the core
functions of a govern-
ment.
First on this list
would be the protec-
tion of the citizens
from external and in-
ternal threats. Without this func-
tion, the people of the nation would
be vulnerable to invasion from for-
eign nations or harm from fellow
citizens. Another protection re-
quired by a government is the pro-
tection of personal rights. Without
liberty, the safety obtained by the
first protection would be in vain.
A third function protects the right
of individuals to pursue their own
interests and keep what is right-
fully theirs. A man can have secu-
rity from harm and be free to do as
he pleases, but those protections
are pointless without the ability to
keep and own personal property.
These three core protections are
what Thomas Jefferson referenced
when he stated, in the Declaration
of Independence, that among the
God-given rights were “life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.” He
understood that if the government
could not make sure that humans
were free to enjoy their God-given
rights, any additional privilege or
service provided by government
would be futile. But these three
protections are not the only duties
of government. In the preamble to
the U.S. Constitution, the Framers
listed six specific reasons for why
the new government was being
The Purdue Review
established. Three of the reasons
correspond with the three God-giv-
en rights listed in the Declaration.
The other three reasons are: estab-
lishing justice, forming a more per-
fect union, and promoting
the general welfare.
Establishing justice
is vital for a government
to effectively govern the
citizens of a nation. In a
world where the person
with the most firepower
usually wins, a govern-
ment is required to pro-
vide a standard of law.
For this purpose, our
government is broken
into three distinct pieces,
the Executive, the Legis-
lature, and the Judiciary.
While each branch has its
own roles and protections
from the other branches,
they all play a part in the
establishment of justice.
The Legislative branch
is meant to form the law
that will provide safety
and protect liberty. The
Judicial branch is meant
to determine when such
laws have been broken,
as well as what the results
of such actions would be.
The Executive branch is
meant to enforce the law
and carry out punish-
ments when necessary.
The term “promote
the general welfare” has
been misused and abused
throughout the years. To
look at it through the eyes
of our nation’s Founders
and Framers, promoting the gen-
eral welfare was intended to be
understood as a basic responsibil-
ity of government. But these men
would not have seen any type of so-
cialistic reliance on government as
See “Conservatism...” on pg. 7
The Purdue Review
Conservatism...
From Page 6
part of that responsibility, so the
phrase cannot possibly mean what
the current societal interpretation
tends to be. In reality, the only oth-
er bare-minimum responsibility of
government beyond protection of
God-given rights and justice would
be to promote those actions on the
part of citizens that would have a
beneficial impact on the rest of the
nation.
The key word, promote, does
not imply that the government
can insure any type of welfare for
mankind, but that it can support
the efforts of the private sector
that can potentially improve so-
ciety and the nation as a whole.
The Erie Canal, for example, dras-
tically improved the lives of many
Americans that lived inland from
the East Coast. It was spurred by
the innovations of the private sec-
tor, supported by the state govern-
ment of New York, and eventually
used by citizens and businesses
to improve the quality of life in
America. While a canal could have
been built by the private sector
alone, the state government was
able to fulfill its role by support-
ing the effort to benefit countless
numbers of citizens.
In the previous example, a refer-
ence was made to the government
of a state, New York, and the type
of infrastructure work that tradi-
tionally falls on the state govern-
“Government is not a solution to
our problem, government is the
problem.” - Ronald Reagan
ment. As the very first reason that
the Framers gave for adopting the
Constitution, they meant to “form
a more perfect Union.” This meant
that the states were to keep their
sovereignty and become united
under the principle of federalism.
The term gets its name from the
original dispute that ended with
our Constitution. Back then, they
weren’t debating whether or not
the states had rights, but whether
or not the states’ rights overpow-
ered federal law.
While this issue wasn’t officially
settled until after the Civil War, the
term federalism came to be known
as the support of a federal govern-
ment that had authority over the
states, but not interfering with
what those roles meant for state
or local governments. The 10th
Amendment to the Constitution
supported federalism by saying,
“The powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitu-
tion, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.” The
same parallel can be carried to
the states. The state-level govern-
ments have power, but the munici-
pal government still has specific
roles that should not be absorbed
February, 2010 7
by the state. Federalism today, in
the words of former Senator Fred
Thompson, basically asks, “Is this
something government should be
doing? If so, at what level of gov-
ernment?”
Governments are created by the
people of a nation to serve them,
not the other way around. If a gov-
ernment does not meet the bare-
minimum responsibilities, or if it
infringes upon God-given rights
rather than protecting them, then
the only solution is to change that
government. Luckily for us, our
nation provides the capability to
change government by voting
and/or running for office. Through
these means, Conservatives be-
lieve that our government can be
restored to a focus on the core re-
sponsibilities, rather than contin-
ue on the path of a despotic, debt-
ridden welfare-state that can only
end as all other tyrannies eventu-
ally do.
Write In!
Have an opinion? Want to have
it heard? Become a guest contribu-
tor! Contact Editor in Chief, Jay
Wood at:
Editor@purduereview.com
Let us know what you would
like to tell the campus and we may
serve as the voice for your message.
New Website!
The Purdue Review now has a
new and functional website com-
plete with a blog and an archive of
our previous issues.
www.pudureview.com
 8 February, 2010
Sanctity of Life
By ANDREW COURY | Guest Columnist
At first inspection, the combat-
ants in the pro-life/pro-choice
debate are lined up on the wrong
sides of the aisle. The progres-
sives claim to want the govern-
ment to protect the weak and
disenfranchised. Who could be
more defenseless than unborn
children? Yet progressives consis-
tently oppose laws requiring even
the most basic care for babies ac-
cidentally delivered alive during
an abortion. Conversely, conser-
vatives claim to want the govern-
ment out of their hair. Why then
do they support government in-
tervention in the case of abortion
or physician assisted suicide? I
cannot speak for all progressives,
but I believe that that vast major-
ity are pro-choice because they
have bought into the lie that they
are actually protecting women.
Likewise, I cannot speak for all
conservatives, but as a conserva-
tive myself I firmly believe that
every person should have the
freedom to pull themselves up by
their own bootstraps, especially
the unborn.
I will deal with the progres-
sives first. Early feminists such as
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth
“...progressives consistently oppose laws re-
quiring even the most basic care for babies ac-
cidentally delivered alive during an abortion.
Conversely, conservatives claim to want the
government out of their hair.”
Cady Stanton were against abor-
tion. The pro-abortion movement
has its roots with Margaret Sanger
and the eugenics movement.
Sanger, the founder of Planned
Parenthood, believed that the hu-
man race could be improved by
preventing people with “undesir-
able” characteristics from having
children. As a result she was in
favor of birth control, forced ster-
ilization, and, of course, abortions
for society’s “undesirables” like
minorities and handicapped peo-
ple. To this day, Planned Parent-
hood uses their abortion clinics
to target minorities, particularly
Blacks (and increasingly Hispan-
ics). Clearly this does not fit with
the traditional progressive mind-
set. Abortion proponents needed
to convince the mainstream pro-
gressives that abortion in fact
protected women.
The statistic widely quoted at
the time (that is, the late 1960’s
and early 1970’s) was that 10,000
women died a year from illegal
“back-alley” abortions. This is
now known to be vastly exagger-
ated, but the trick worked: The
right to an abortion became an of-
ficial stance of mainstream femi-
nism, and from there became part
of the Democratic Party platform.
Unfortunately they were wrong
– legalized abortion, far from
protecting women, has deeply
harmed tens of millions of wom-
en since 1973. Abortion is almost
always more dangerous than giv-
ing birth, with a wide variety of
physical complications.
Perhaps even more serious
than the physical danger, the
emotional trauma of having an
abortion, known as Post Abor-
tion Syndrome (PAS), can last for
years. Pro-abortion advocates ve-
The Purdue Review
hemently deny the existence of can dream.
PAS, but that does not negate the It is the government’s duty to
pain felt by millions of women. If protect the freedom of all citizens,
any other medical procedure was including the unborn. Because
so physically and psychologically the government ultimately repre-
dangerous the government would sents the people, as a society we
strictly control it, and yet in many must value all human life. Despite
“[Lincoln] correctly saw that slavery prevented
people from having the freedom to pursue their
own prosperity. Likewise, since 1973 abortion
has prevented 52,000,000 men and women from
pursuing the American dream.”
states there are more government its proponent’s claims, embryonic
regulations on a McDonalds than stem cell research devalues hu-
on an abortion clinic. This does man life, and results in a culture
not seem to be protecting women. that devalues human life.
I urge progressives to reconsider A more subtle example is phy-
their stance on abortion. By sup- sician-assisted suicide. I grew up
porting abortion you are harming in Oregon, the first state in the
thousands of women every day. nation where assisted suicide
But why are conservatives pro- was legalized. Proponents claim
life? As a conservative myself, I that the Death with Dignity law
fundamentally reject the claim enables people with terminal ill-
that the government can help ness to make their own decisions
people succeed. Just as breaking about how to end their life. In the
the eggshell for a hatching chick majority of cases, however, it is
will result in the chick being too difficult to determine whether
weak to survive, the creation of it is really the patient making
a welfare state does more harm the decision or their children or
than good. The role of the gov- spouse. It is common for the pri-
ernment is not to pull people up; mary care physician to refuse to
it is to give them the freedom prescribe lethal drugs to termi-
to pull themselves up by their nally ill patients, often because
own bootstraps. This is the great they do not believe that is truly
American dream: the dream of the will of the patient. Often a
a meritocracy where people are family member, such as a child,
judged by their own accomplish- will take up the cause and cycle
ments rather than their family or through doctors until they find
their race. This was why Lincoln one willing to prescribe the sui-
was anti-slavery. He correctly saw cide drug cocktail. In the majority
that slavery prevented people of cases, these doctors have never
from having the freedom to pur- seen the patient before.
sue their own prosperity. Like- Furthermore, since the pas-
wise, since 1973 abortion has sage of the Death with Dignity Act
prevented 52,000,000 men and
women from pursuing the Ameri- See “Life...” on Pg. 9
 The Purdue Review
Voting by the Seat of Your Pants
By JOHN WESTERCAMP | Guest Columnist
It’s been commonly thought that
s duty tomany Americans vote along their
citizens,ideological lines. Conservatives
Becausevote Republican and liberals vote
ly repre-Democrat. While this is true for
ciety wesome Americans, I submit that the
Despitemost sought after votes, the moder-
ate vote, is won not by appealing to
political convictions, but by a “the
seat of their pants” consideration
– their wallets. These moderate
voters choose candidates based on
their own prosperity (and expected
prosperity), and their support can
often lead to political victories.
Examples of this theory can be
seen throughout presidential cam-
paigns. In 1992, Bill Clinton defeat-
ed George Bush in part because of
mbryonica recession. Also, in 1980, Ronald
lues hu-Reagan beat Jimmy Carter because
a cultureof high unemployment and infla-
tion. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt
e is phy-won against Herbert Hoover dur-
grew uping the Great Depression. Ronald
e in theReagan’s question, “Are you better
suicideoff now than you were four years
ts claimago?” continues to be the succinct
nity law
minal ill-
decisions
fe. In theLife...
ver, it isFrom Page 8
whether
makingin 1994, the quality of end of life
ldren orcare in Oregon has deteriorated
the pri-significantly. Oregon currently
efuse tohas one of the worst ratings for
o termi-end of life care in the nation.
becauseThis is not a case of not throwing
is trulyenough money at the problem:
Often athe Oregon medical community
a child,has a culture that devalues life,
nd cycleand so it does a poor job of help-
hey finding dying patients. It is the gov-
the sui-ernment’s role to pass laws that
majorityprotect citizen’s freedom, from
ve neverthe unborn to the terminally ill.
Instead of giving terminally ill
he pas-patients more freedom, physician
gnity Actassisted suicide has caused their
freedom to erode. Dying people
in Oregon are now pressured into
criterion which determines the
moderate vote.
In the book Do the Right Thing
Mike Huckabee echoes, from his
experience, the idea that people
are less concerned with left or right
and more concerned with up and
down. The implication of this the-
ory is a reduction of the principle-
agency problem in politics. Dur-
ing the non-election years, many
Americans become frustrated with
their lack of influence; consequent-
ly, in election years voters demand
accountability of their elected of-
ficials. If elected officials begin to
realize that they will be judged by
their results, not voting records,
there will be a paradigm shift in
American politics.
Granted, the President and Con-
gress are neither omniscient nor
omnipotent. Even good policies
can fail; however, our representa-
tives can practice transparency and
make a good faith effort to improve
the policies that influence the econ-
omy. Americans can tell the differ-
committing suicide, instead of be-
ing empowered truly to make de-
cisions about medical care at the
end of their life.
“Americans can tell the difference between
political pandering a month before the elec-
tion and a consistent effort to represent the
people’s interest.”
ence between political pandering
a month before the election and a
consistent effort to represent the
people’s interest.
During the past year, Democrats
have had unfettered power to in-
fluence public policy. They have
squandered this time by worrying
about climate change and health-
care rather than jobs and the econ-
omy. The latest reaction of voters
to this mismanagement was in the
Massachusetts Senate race. The
victory of Scott Brown, a Repub-
lican, against a liberal Democrat
represents the extent to which vot-
ers will abandon their ideological
politics in favor of results. In one
In this article I have referred to
many facts. I strongly encourage
you not to take my word for it.
The facts and statistics I cited are
February, 2010 9
of the most liberal states in the
Union, voters surprised the politi-
cal establishment by choosing the
conservative candidate. A year ago,
no one could have expected a Re-
publican to occupy the seat of the
late Senator Kennedy. The people
of Massachusetts have had another
political tea party – this time at the
expense of Democrats.
If my theory of Americans voting
by “the seat of their pants” is cor-
rect, I’m also confident that politi-
cal establishments like Pelosi and
Reid will lose their political shirts
this November.
easily available on the internet.
Do your own research and draw
your own conclusions. Abortion,
assisted suicide, and other right
to life issues are important
enough that every American
should develop their own cohe-
sive stance. I commonly hear peo-
ple say, “While I’m personally op-
posed to abortion, I don’t believe
that it’s the government’s role to
intervene.” Why are you person-
ally opposed to abortion? Why
shouldn’t the government inter-
vene? I urge you to think it
through – don’t let the talking
heads do your thinking for you.
 10 February, 2010
Indiana Budget Crisis
Purdue Funding Gets the Shaft
The current economic recession
is affecting all of us in one way or
another. Maybe your hours have
been cut at work, or maybe you’re
graduating soon and are having
trouble landing job interviews.
You’ve probably had to cut back on
some of your spending habits over
the past several months. In much
the same way that the recession af-
fects all of us, it is also affecting the
state that we live in. Indiana’s state
budget works about the same way
as a regular checking account, only
on a much larger scale. Just as you
look ahead to make sure you’re not
going to be in the red before your
next paycheck comes in, the Indi-
ana General Assembly forecasts the
state revenue every two years and
from that prediction they are able
to plan the state budget.
Unfortunately, 2009 was a very
bad fiscal year. State revenues fell
short by approximately $1.4 billion
with the onset of the recession. The
government cut a lot of spending
in 2009 and adjusted predictions
©2010 Professor Larry DeBoer, Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics. “An Overview of the higher education
Indiana State Budget”. <http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/crd/localgov/Topics/Essays/State_Budget.htm>
By ABBIE KRUEGER & KRISTIN PATRAS
for 2010 and 2011 to spend far
less than originally planned. How-
ever, this was not enough and as
of May 2009, it looked as though
the Indiana balances were going
to fall into the negatives sometime
in 2011. Your bank prevents you
from spending more money than
you have, and the state constitution
prevents Indiana from spending
more money than it has. In Decem-
ber, a committee met again to read-
just the forecast for 2010 and 2011.
Last month they had made enough
budget cuts (including those to
higher education) to hold balances
at zero by June 2011.
In response to the impending
budget crisis, the General Assem-
bly has taken action by examining
appropriations, which is spend-
ing authorized by the General As-
sembly itself. The pie chart below
breaks down appropriations into
six groups: K-12 education, higher
education, Medicaid, health & social
services, public safety, and all other
spending. Professor Lawrence De-
The Purdue Review
“With the loss of $45,474,070.00 in appropria-
tions to Purdue, the million dollar question is
whether or not students will see a rise in their
tuition in order to offset the massive cut.”
Boer of the Agricultural Economics of the total appropriations.
Department here at Purdue has an As you can see, there was not
entire website dedicated to the top- much wiggle room for the General-
ic that explains why the General As- Assembly to make cuts when they
sembly may chose to make cuts to took on the budget crisis in late
certain appropriations over others 2009. Before making cuts to educa-
in a time of financial downturn. For tion, they did make between 300
example, DeBoer recognizes that and 400 million in cuts on state
although Medicaid eats up 13% of agencies. Unfortunately, this was
Indiana’s budget, it cannot be re- not enough, and, therefore, they
duced easily due to the fact that it made cuts in early December for
is an entitlement program. Higher Education. In mid Decem-
If an individual meets the set ber, they were also forced to make
standards, he or she cannot be de- cuts to K-12 Education.
nied from the program. In addition With the loss of $45,474,070.00
to not being able to cut Medicaid, it in appropriations to Purdue, the
is very hard to cut health and social million dollar question is whether
services and public safety appro- or not students will see a rise in
priations because their tuition in order to offset the
they are seen massive cut. The Higher Education
as essentials by Commissioner’s office stated that
the public. That they do not expect an increase in
leaves the K-12 tuition for students in the 2010-
education, higher 2011 academic year, but that after
education, and all that, it is up in the air. The univer-
other categories sity’s own website confirms that it
eligible for cut- has taken steps in order to reduce a
ting. Although the projected $67 million deficit, which
General Assem- is partially a product of the cuts in
bly could, in fact, appropriations. Thus far, the uni-
cut funds from versity has decided to cut $27 mil-
the “all other” lion per year from employee bene-
piece of the pie, fits as well as $25 million from
it would certainly costs such as energy. Nevertheless,
not come near to many are concerned that an in-
the total amount creasingly dire economic situation
needed to be cut. could send tuition on the rise de-
That leaves K-12 spite Purdue’s attempt to be more
education and efficient with its funds.
making up 65%
 The Purdue Review February, 2010 11

Adam Andrzejewski
A missed opportunity for Illinois in 2010 By ADAM SIMKOWSKI | Guest Columnist
On February 2nd, 2010 the ficials to post all their checks nois government is not trans- forensic audit. This would de-
state of Illinois and its voters online for the public to view. parent, and this is a leading tail all past expenditures of
made yet another bad decision This has been successful with cause for the corruption the state and the officials re-
that seems to accent the re- some elected officials and through the state. With this sponsible for their rampant
cent crooked political history school boards in his home transparency, Adam promised corruption. This audit would
of the state very well. There county of Kankakee and other to be fair and efficient with assess trends of past unneces-
were six candidates running counties in Illinois including his spending. With the track sary spending and link it back
in the Republican guberna- Cook County (Chicago). record of past governors in Il- to possible current elected of-
torial primary. One stood far It’s these ideals that Adam linois and Adam being a fresh ficials. Transparency could be
aapart from the others: Adam founded his campaign upon. face to politics, it may be dif- one of the many missing ingre-
. Andrzejewski, a local business The most important part of ficult for many not to believe dients in Illinois. It could be
was notman from Herscher, IL, a small his campaign is the transpar- him. one of the ingredients which
General-town about 70 miles south of ency he wanted in the Illinois Adam was also very ambi- would take Illinois n the right
Chicago. A graduate of North- government. Adam proposed tious toward focused solutions direction toward less corrup-
hen they
ern Illinois University with a “every dime, online, in real in Illinois. A statement from tion, debt, and wasteful spend-
s in late
his website sums it up best: “Il- ing. Adam’s proposals were
to educa-
linois government needs to be the most plausible out of any
een 300
on state “Adam proposed this start at the local level focused on the solution of our Republican candidate for gov-
problems and less concerned ernor.
this was where counties and townships must demon- with the accumulation of pow- Adam Andrzejewski did not
ore, they
er. Believing in local control, win the primary, although he
mber for strate good government with efficiency, the basis
Andrzejewski will first look to finished higher than anyone
Decem- of people first, and that magic word that Illinois empower people and then to expected. His fellow Republi-
to make put as many government func- cans (the winner yet to be de-
needs abundantly: ‘transparency.’” tions as close to the people as termined) do not share the
4,070.00 possible. This seems like com- same transparency ideals as he
due, the mon sense, but is the opposite does. It’s no wonder Adam re-
whetherbusiness degree, he started a time” where he would make Il- of recent state history.” Adam ceived National and Interna-
a rise insuccessful publishing company linois financially transparent proposed this start at the local tional endorsements from
offset thecatering to his local area spe- and taxpayers would know ex- level where counties and town- much of the conservative me-
ducationcifically with phone books. The actly where their money is be- ships must demonstrate good dia and leaders such as Lech
ated thatbusiness is still successful to ing spent. All spending would government with efficiency, Walesa, former Polish Presi-
crease inthis day, but in 2007, Adam be posted online for the the basis of people first, and dent and founder of Solidarity,
he 2010-decided to sell his share public to view. As that magic word that Illinois which led to the fall of commu-
hat afterand begin fighting for Adam said, “Tax dol- needs abundantly: “transpar- nism. Fortunately Adam is not
e univer-the people of Illinois. lars don’t belong to ency.” done yet and from all indica-
ms that it He founded “For The the government, as This transparency has to tions it seems he will run
reduce aGood of Illinois” with government is only come in two steps, the second again.
it, whichthe mission to bring a steward of those of which would be a statewide
e cuts intransparency, account- tax dollars.”
the uni-ability, efficient ser- Currently
$27 mil-vice, and frugality the Il-
ee bene-to Illinois govern- l i - “Currently the Illinois government is not
on fromments. His group
rtheless,has been suc- transparent and this is a leading cause for the
t an in-cessful thus far
situationby spearhead- corruption through the state. With this trans-
rise de-ing a financial
be moret r a n s p a r e n c y
parency, Adam promised to be fair and effi-
movement
which encour- cient with his spending.”
ages elected of-
 12 February, 2010
Scott Brown
America’s Collective Gesture to Obama
Have you ever considered
something to be impossible, and
then it happened? It was ‘impos-
sible’ for man to achieve flight.
Then came the Wright Brothers.
It was ‘impossible’ to beat the
Soviets at hockey. Then came
the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. It
was ‘impossible’ for two friends
or family members to video chat
with each other. Then came Sky-
pe and other software. It was
‘impossible’ to elect a Republi-
can to the U.S. Senate seat held
for decades by Massachusetts
liberal Ted Kennedy. Then came
Scott Brown.
Scott Brown’s chances of win-
ning that seat seemed impos-
sible for many reasons. The first
and perhaps most obvious disad-
vantage for Brown is that Massa-
chusetts is an extremely liberal
state. In 2008, Barack Obama
carried that state by 26 percent-
age points. Keep in mind that
only 11% of Massachusetts vot-
ers are registered Republicans.
The last time a Republican held
that Senate seat was 1952 when
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., lost his
re-election bid to John F. Kenne-
dy. It is very difficult for Repub-
licans to win in Massachusetts,
but clearly not impossible.
In mid-September of last year,
the Democratic candidate, Mar-
tha Coakley (Massachusetts’ At-
torney General), had a 30-point
lead over then State Senator
Scott Brown in the polls. In Oc-
tober, she was polling at 26
points over Brown and by mid-
November, she was back up to
a 31-point advantage. Between
January 2nd and 6th, the Boston
Globe showed Martha Coakley
with a 17-point lead. On Janu-
ary 4th, Rasmussen (a typically
more conservative pollster) had
Coakley up by 9 points.
However, with a week to ten
days before the election, Scott
Brown finally took the lead in
the polls. With less than a week
to go, the presumably frightened
Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee poured over half a
million dollars into the race to
help Coakley. During that same
By JAY WOOD
period, President Obama trav-
eled to Massachusetts to endorse
Coakley and stump for her. That
was done with the intent of ener-
gizing the liberal base in Massa-
chusetts. Obama may have rode
into town with people cheer-
ing and waving palm branches,
but that was no reflection of the
gloom he and his loyal followers
would experience just days later.
On the day of the election
(January 19th), Matt Drudge re-
ported Brown having a 9-point
lead in the polls. Despite trail-
ing for months, Scott Brown
pulled off a huge victory coming
from behind. The election re-
sults weren’t even close. Brown
received nearly 52% of the vote
to Coakley’s 47%, a difference
of well over 109,000 votes. How
did this happen? Democrats have
suggested a number of possibili-
ties.
Perhaps their most common
assertion is that Martha Coakley
was an overall weak candidate.
Compared to Scott Brown, she
is a poor public speaker who is
The Purdue Review
prone to gaffes. For instance, she
said that former baseball player
Curt Schilling is a Yankees fan.
Curt Schilling led the Boston Red
Sox to two World Series titles.
Whoops!
Many Democrats believe that
Coakley lost because voters were
troubled by the current health-
care proposals, special nego-
tiations to win healthcare votes
(ex. the Cornhusker Kickback,
the Louisiana Purchase, etc.), as
well as high unemployment. Oth-
er Democrats, however, believe
that Coakley lost because voters
were frustrated with her party
for not delivering on their 2008
promise to pass a healthcare
overhaul. The Coakley campaign
itself pointed fingers at Demo-
crats on the national level for
not taking an active role early on
and not donating enough money
down the stretch.
The truth is that all of these
assertions are true. The most
telling of all, in my opinion, is
the American people’s rejec-
tion of Obama’s agenda and his
performance in office thus far.
Massachusetts is a dark blue
state (again, only 11% of vot-
ers are registered Republicans).
That being said, it is apparent
that Scott Brown won the votes
of independents and Democrats
both. People are losing faith in
the President and his agenda.
This referendum on Obama
extends beyond Massachusetts
though. Last year, the GOP won
gubernatorial races in Virginia
and New Jersey (both of which
Obama carried in 2008). The
American people are sending a
clear message. They don’t want
universal health care. They don’t
want cap and trade. They don’t
want higher taxes and higher
unemployment. This frustra-
See “Brown...” on Pg. 13
The Purdue Review
Political Cartoon
By STEWART SIMPSON
Brown...
From Page 12
tion with Obama has already led
to Republican victories in blue
states and it is likely an indica-
tor of GOP success to come in the
2010 midterm elections.
Obama lost credibility with
this race. By travelling to Massa-
chusetts, endorsing Coakley and
stumping for her, he effectively
attached his name to the race.
That has not worked out well for
him so far. Obama pushed for the
Olympics in Chicago. That failed.
Obama pushed for action on cli-
mate change in Copenhagen.
That failed. Obama pushed for
Coakley. That failed. He hasn’t
exactly been able to turn water
into wine lately. Again, when he
attaches his name to things and
they fail, his credibility suffers.
That suffering might very well
continue. Scott Brown’s victory
gives Republicans control of 41
seats in the U.S. Senate, leaving
the Democrats with 59 seats.
This is very important, because
the Democrats no longer have
the 60 votes needed to cloture
(stop) a Republican filibuster.
With the ability to filibuster,
the Republicans can put a halt
to items on President Obama’s
agenda, most notably healthcare
reform proposals that would
turn over 1/6th of our economy
to the federal government. The
heart and soul of Obama’s cam-
paign was universal healthcare.
If he can’t get that passed, his
credibility is shot.
With Scott Brown’s win, Dem-
ocrats have come to a fork in the
road. They can try to keep push-
ing Obama-care and risk abso-
lute failure, or they can drop the
February, 2010 13
“The American people are not happy with the
direction Obama and his party have been taking
this country. Unfortunately for Democrats, the
“we inherited this mess from George W. Bush”
message isn’t holding water anymore.”
public option and embrace more and his party have been taking
moderate/conservative ideas this country. Unfortunately for
(ex. Tort Reform, making insur- Democrats, the “we inherited
ance available across state lines, this mess from George W. Bush”
tax credits, etc.). Neither out- message isn’t holding water any-
come is exactly what they want, more. Unless they shape up soon,
but they might not have a choice. they will face tremendous losses
Their immediate political future this fall. If they can’t even win in
is on the line. Massachusetts, Democrats in for
The American people are not a world of hurt.
happy with the direction Obama
 14 February, 2010
Read My Lips: No New Taxes
By JORDAN HEBBE
Campaign promises of tax
cuts for 95% of Americans, tax
cuts for small businesses, and
lower income taxes for the aver-
age working American. Sound
like a conservative candidate?
Think again. That was our Pres-
ident.
“I can make a firm pledge, un-
der my plan; no family making
less than $250,000 a year will
see any form of tax increase. Not
your income tax, not your pay-
roll tax, not your capital gains
taxes, not any of your taxes.” –
President Obama
It seems impossible that
someone who ran on promises
of tax cuts and middle class re-
lief can completely reverse his
agenda and have no one ques-
tion it, but that is exactly the
case. Although Reuters initially
chose to report the story, the
“Throughout history, the only method that has
been proven effective at bringing an economy
out of a recession has been large-scale tax cuts
across the board.”
article detailing the new tax
increases was removed from
the internet within a matter of
hours. The President’s budget,
$3.8 trillion for the upcoming
year, raises taxes by $2 trillion
over the next 10 years for busi-
nesses and upper-income fami-
lies.
In an attempt to make it
appear as though he is making
a bipartisan effort, President
Obama is cutting spending in
many areas of the budget. De-
spite these spending cuts and
bringing in trillions in new tax
revenue, the country still faces
8.5 trillion in new debt over the
next 10 years.
President Obama will be in-
creasing income taxes by nearly
4% on families with a combined
income of over $250,000. At
first glance, an additional 4% in
taxes does not seem very sub-
stantial and to some it may not
even seem unfair. These people
are making a quarter of a mil-
lion dollars per year, so they can
spare a few extra bucks to help
out the rest of us, right? When
you think of this increase in
terms of actual cash, it starts to
look a bit more staggering. For
a household making more than
$250,000, this increase will
bring the government’s total
share of earnings to 39.6% or
almost $100,000 of that house-
hold’s income. Ask yourselves,
what is the point of striving to
improve one’s economic stand-
ing when the money that has
been earned through hard work
will be taken away in ever-in-
creasing taxes?
In addition to the fact that
“spreading the wealth” is unfair,
it is also ineffective. Through-
out history, the only method
that has been proven effective
at bringing an economy out of a
recession has been large-scale
tax cuts across the board. Cal-
vin Coolidge used the method
“I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95 percent of all
working families, because, in an economy like
this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on
the middle class.” -Barack Obama
to bring about the Roaring 20’s,
John F. Kennedy cut taxes to
create one of our last balanced
budgets and huge economic
expansion, and Ronald Reagan
cured one of the worst reces-
sions since the Great Depres-
sion with a tax plan much like
Kennedy’s, creating one of our
nation’s strongest periods of
economic growth.
Following the events of Sep-
tember 11th, President Bush
used the same principles to cre-
ate the lowest unemployment
for one of the longest periods of
time. It’s simple really; if we cut
taxes, people have more spend-
ing money, if they have more
spending money, they can put
it back into the economy, when
the economy starts to grow
again unemployment starts
to drop, when unemployment
drops people have jobs and
therefore more money to invest
in the economy. Are you seeing
a trend? It’s a beautiful, effec-
tive, endless circle of prosperity.
With the current path that
Obama has chosen, we have
only one direction to go: down.
People seem to be all for rais-
ing taxes, as long as it does not
affect them. What most people
The Purdue Review
For
do not seem to understand is
that no matter whom or what is
taxed, it ultimately does affect
them. When businesses at any
level are taxed, prices for that
business’ goods and or services
will go up to counter the taxes.
If taxes reach a certain point,
businesses have to start cutting
back, which generally means
laying off employees. Those em-
ployees, who are no longer mak-
ing a paycheck, do not have extra
money to put into the economy
which puts further stress on the
businesses.
Even though President
Obama is not increasing taxes
directly on the middle class, he
is raising taxes that will eventu-
ally create a major, albeit indi-
rect, negative impact on the
middle class. This is how we got
into the predicament we are in
today. The only way that we are
going to get ourselves out of this
mess is to use that old, faithful,
tried and true method that
sounds too simple to be possi-
ble: cut taxes.
The Purdue Review February, 2010 15

For the Record

Obama’s Afghanistan Speech By Guest Columnist
As some of you may recall, on disrespectful to the President by ties did not end there. They were whom they believe shows disre-
December 1st 2009 President nodding off before and during the required to attend in full dress spect to the Obama administra-
Obama gave a speech on his Af- speech. On this issue, I would like uniform, which means heavy tion. They focused their cameras
ghan War strategy. Although to set the record straight so that grey woolen coats and pants. on any Cadets who were reading
his decisions were not nearly nobody who reads this will again Many were running off of limited or sleeping prior to and during
as timely as promised (over ten criticize the commitment and en- amounts of sleep due to home- the speech and then twisted the
months after his term began as during respect these cadets have work combined with early morn- story. They painted the Cadets as
president, and over two months
after General McChrystal’s war
strategy had been approved by
the Senate), they did come. He
decided to appoint 30,000 fresh
troops, which was less than the
General had requested to win the
war. It was a step in the right di-
rection, especially in the face of
his far left supporters who want
to see America surrender. How-
ever, the focus of this article is
not to criticize the President’s
decision on this issue, as it has
already been covered plenty in
the news. I will let my readers
decide for themselves the worthi-
ness of his decision. The purpose
of this article is to criticize how
many news agencies covered the
speech and their unfair coverage
of West Point Cadets.
As the friend of a West Point
Cadet, over Christmas break I was
able to speak with him about his
view on President Obama’s strat- for their Commander in Chief. ing classes and physical training. having been disrespectful to the
egy in Afghanistan and what he First, the Cadets were not Combine all of this with the warm President by focusing their cam-
thought of the speech. I will not simply filed into the auditorium atmosphere of a large auditorium eras specifically on the minority
elaborate on his views regarding shortly before the speech as if it and you have a recipe for bore- who had fallen asleep. Never did
strategy or the speech itself aside was a concert. Every Cadet had dom and sleep. Some brought they elaborate on the conditions,
from the fact that the Cadets ob- to be individually scanned be- books with them to pass the time and in reality they should have
viously want to win this war and fore entering and searched for before the speech; others simply been focused on the President’s
not see their fallen brothers’ ef- possible threats to the President. forced themselves to stay awake. speech in general, not his audi-
forts to have been in vain. The While this may seem absurd con- However, given the long wait be- ence.
primary issue was regarding how sidering their military prestige, fore the speech, and the speech’s For their unfair coverage of the
the media covered the speech and it is a security mandate and they length itself (over half an hour), a Cadets, any media organization
their coverage in days prior. If one were more than willing to respect few unfortunately failed. that did so should be ashamed.
recalls, the liberal news agencies its necessity. However, to accom- For those of you who have Nonetheless, the men and women
overall praised President Obama, modate this measure Cadets had ever taken a power-hour under at the United States Military
their darling savior, while they to begin filing into the audito- similar conditions, you can relate Academy at West Point will will-
criticized the West Point Cadets. rium over four hours before the to how difficult it can be to stay ingly fight so that these media
These young men and women speech began. Once they reached awake. However, the Cadets were outlets can continue to lie and
who will one day be fighting to their seat, there was no leaving it, all under the watchful eyes of smear. They do so with honor and
preserve our freedom and securi- not even to go to the bathroom. the liberal media, who like noth- integrity. God bless all those who
ty were portrayed as having been However, the Cadets’ difficul- ing more than to smear anyone wear the uniform.
 16 February, 2010
POL 222: Women, Politics, & Public Policy
By TYLER MARTIN
The College of Liberal Arts
(CLA), like all other colleges at
Purdue, has a set of core require-
ments that must be met in order to
graduate. The College of Science re-
quires a computer science course,
all majors require a communica-
tions course, and the CLA requires
a gender issues course. Of the many
options under this gender category,
one included is Political Science
222 -- Women, Politics, And Public
Policy. The course description is as
“Also lacking from the course was an overview
of women that have had a prominent role in
politics. There was no mention of Nancy Pelosi,
Condoleezza Rice, or Hillary Clinton.”
follows: “An introduction to wom-
en’s participation in politics, with
an emphasis on America. Structur-
al and attitudinal conditions lim-
iting women’s political roles and
contemporary efforts to change
women’s status in society through
politics.” Having passed the course
this preceding fall semester, I can
attest to its structure and content:
some areas of the course were ex-
ceptional, while others made me
wonder why such a course would
be in the CLA core curriculum.
Any course can be evaluated
on many variables. There are the
technical and structural aspects,
such as the delivery of the course
through available media like Black-
board, course websites, handouts,
the instructor, and teaching assis-
tants. There is also how the distri-
bution of content is spread out over
the semester, at which points are
exams taken, and the calculation of
the grade, relative to the student’s
performance on other assessments
(e.g homework, projects) in addi-
tion to the exams. The base of the
course, the part which determines
if the other aspects are worth in-
vesting time in, is the content.
Whereas the course excelled in the
structural aspect, the content of the
course deviated from the course de-
scription, and was without a doubt
heavily biased. The degradation of
content hinders the effectiveness of
a properly structured course.
Lost in the liberal bias of the
course was an objective presen-
tation of the feminist movement,
criticisms and all. Over the dura-
tion of the course, there were at
times brief mentions of the idea
that men benefit from the feminist
movement, as well as the idea that
there are variations of feminism.
Nothing further was said on those
topics, nor was anything similar
discussed. Due to the lack of op-
posing viewpoints discussed in lec-
ture, there was little opportunity
for critical thought outside of the
feminist movement. The extent to
which critical thought was incorpo-
rated was determined by the final
paper, a policy proposal regarding
some aspect of women’s rights. Al-
though critical, the criticism was
left to discovering problems in the
feminist movement that could be
improved in that direction – not of
feminism as a whole. The syllabus
from the section that I was in even
stated, “Students should develop
their own perspectives on course
material by critically reading, writ-
ing, listening, and discussing the ar-
guments and evidence presented.”
Well, the problem is that not much
was presented, aside from one of
the required texts which did pres-
ent both sides. Yet, the texts never
covered more than a few questions
on the tests, and class discussions
on the text were strongly guided by
the instructor towards the feminist
perspective. All of the guest speak-
ers, needless to say, were left-lean-
ing instructors in the Political Sci-
ence department. Could it have not
benefitted the student to hear the
arguments of a right-leaning pro-
fessor (do those even exist?) from
a different school or department?
Also lacking from the course
was an overview of women that
have had a prominent role in
politics. As stated by the course
description, “An introduction to
women’s participation in politics,
with an emphasis on America”.
There was no mention of Nancy
Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, or Hillary
Clinton. Granted, most of us have
heard of them, yet few of us know
the name of the first woman to run
for president. If some of the topics
that were needlessly repetitive had
been compacted, there could have
been room for some non-feminist,
“Women should be allowed the freedom to have
equivalent access to the resources that men do,
and have means of protection from genuinely
abusive men.”
politically-centered lecturing. The
goal being to educate us, it would
seem in the CLA’s best interest to
ensure that students receive as
much out of the course as they can:
anything from facts, to new ideas,
to politically-centered and bal-
anced critical thought.
It need not be said that the points
raised in the class are incongruent
with traditional conservativism.
The role of the mother has always
been to take care of her family and
maintain the household. Even in
nature, the young need to be with
The Purdue Review
the mother for a certain amount of
time before they can go about on
their own. But circumstances have
changed over the last couple of
centuries, and other areas regard-
ing the family and women need
to be viewed accordingly. When
women couldn’t vote, little atten-
tion was paid to the abusive hus-
band. Since things are different, it
is inappropriate for conservatives
to take a purely anti-feminist view-
point. Women should be allowed
the freedom to have equivalent ac-
cess to the resources that men do,
and have means of protection from
genuinely abusive men. The ques-
tion is to what extent can we imple-
ment policy regarding these issues
without burying ourselves in such
a massive amount that we end up
retrograding? The policy needs to
end at some point.
Not to get too in depth with the
conservative argument against
feminism, I will say that the intent
of this was to highlight areas of this
course that seemed to need im-
provement. Though there was
much done right in the course
(i.e., the instructor was knowl-
edgeable and helpful, the course
was set up to allow students to
find ways to actively participate
in women’s issues, and interna-
tional concerns were a focus), it
could have been that much bet-
ter with a broader look at wom-
en in politics, feminism, and al-
lowing the student to see all
perspectives and make unbi-
ased personal judgments of the
movement.
The Purdue Review February, 2010 17

Campus Computer Theft

ITaP Security Inefficiency or Criminal Masterminds? By MORGAN IKERD

There have been several ru-
mors and much speculation about
the stolen computer fiasco which
happened while most of us were
home on winter break. You may
be wondering; how exactly did 60
computers, desktops at that, get
stolen from a locked computer
room in a locked building, without
being detected? That seems like a
very good question. What makes
the situation worse, however, is
that 15 computers were found
missing from the fourth floor of
the Civil Engineering building just
a few weeks beforehand, and 29
computers were found wrapped
up in Heavilon Hall ready to be
taken the night of the theft in
Stanley Coulter.
What stopped the thieves from
taking the rest? How did they get
in and transport so many comput-
ers in such little time? How did
they fit all of them in a vehicle?
There are so many questions sur-
rounding this incident that are yet
to be answered, and it seems that
students are taking out their frus-
trations and uncertainties with
the matter on ITaP.
An editorial written in The
Exponent blamed ITaP for the
4-hour delay between the time
that the computers were stolen
and the time that the
police were alert-
ed. They made those four hours
sound like a lifetime, but this was
fairly quickly considering this oc-
curred in the middle of the night
over winter break and there was
no one was in the building who
could conveniently check on the
situation. Most monitoring tools
for university computer labs ob-
serve what state the comput-
ers are in and whether they are
turned on or off. As we all know,
computers aren’t always the most
reliable devices, especially when
an entire computer lab is oper-
ating from one single router. I’m
sure “Oh my gosh, someone stole
all of the computers” is not the
first thought in your head when
you see that the computers are all
down at the same time. So come
on, people, give ITaP a break!
The same editorial also states
that Stanley Coulter was open all
break long. This is definitely not
the case. At the time of the theft,
all of the outside doors of Stanley
Coulter were locked, as well as the
doors to the computer labs them-
selves. This means that the thieves
entered by force and broke the
locks of both exterior and inte-
rior doors to complete their task.
I can’t say I’m an expert on the
criminals’ knowledge, but
I feel like
these folks knew
exactly what they
were doing and
are pretty dang
good at what
they do. Besides
the fact that
they successfully
pried open at
least three locked
doors, they still
had the daunting
task of packag-
ing and trans-
porting 60 com-
puters from the
computer lab to
vehicle(s), which
would take some
serious time un-
der normal cir-
cumstances.
In order for
them to partake
in such an operation, there had It is highly unlikely that the uni-
to have been multiple people in- versity is going to make tens of
volved and a large vehicle to be thousands of students pay directly
able to hold all of the hijacked for the replacement of the stolen
desktops. I think it is safe to say computers. Most businesses have
that these thieves were profes- insurance to cover their losses
sionals. They were unbelievably when they are robbed, assuming
organized in knowing exactly that university employees were at
where to go, how to break in, how fault. It is very likely that the uni-
to wrap all the computers for versity has a similar insurance
transport, and how to get them policy that allows the new com-
all out of the building puters to be purchased at a lower
and into a vehicle cost. Students have suggested that
for departure Purdue install more security cam-
without being eras to prevent future problems
detected. No or- such as this. While this is a good
dinary person thought, it will be hard to fit into
would have the the tight budget the University is
necessary skills working with right now without
for such a smooth raising tuition costs. Even though
and well-planned the criminals have yet to be iden-
maneuver. tified, the university will now be
Students are also more aware and take more pre-
acting as if their tu- cautions to prevent criminal ac-
ition is going to be tivity such as this.
doubled to pay for this
expensive robbery. The
magic word is ‘insurance’.
 18 February, 2010
Purdue Basketball Mid-Season Review
Boilers are on the right track
With about one month remain-
ing in the regular season, the Pur-
due Men’s Basketball team has
already accomplished some out-
standing feats. As the college bas-
ketball season moves by quickly,
the Boilers (18-3) have shown that
they are determined, experienced,
and prepared to do battle in the Big
Ten. Purdue is currently ranked 8th
by the Associated Press and 7th by
the ESPN/USA Today Poll. But even
more impressive than their cur-
rent rankings is the team’s stability.
Purdue has consistently remained
in the Top 10 for the vast majority
of the regular season.
Purdue kicked off their sea-
son with the return of top players
like Chris Kramer, Robbie Hum-
mel, JaJuan Johnson, and E’Twaun
Moore. Head coach Matt Painter,
who graduated from Purdue in
1994, returned for his fifth coach-
ing season. Last year, Painter led
the Boilers to a Sweet 16 NCAA
tournament berth before losing to
the University of Connecticut.
A win at Mackey Arena began
the season as the Boilers handed
the Matadors of Cal State North-
ridge a 25 point defeat. Then, it was
on to the Boilermakers first trip
out to the Virgin Island’s Paradise
Jam. After defeating South Dakota
State and St. Joseph’s in the tropical
showdown, Purdue went on to play
Tennessee, who was ranked 9th
in the nation at the time. E’Twaun
Moore’s 22-point effort helped
the Boilermakers squeak out a 73-
72 win over the Volunteers. That
game sealed a tournament win for
Purdue and Moore was named the
Paradise Jam MVP.
One week later, the Boilers be-
gan the month of December with
a win over the Wake Forest Demon
Deacons. This game was part of the
annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge in
which the eleven teams from the
Big Ten play one opponent from
the ACC. Of the 11 games played,
By CHRIS ELLISON
the Big Ten won 6 in 2009. Pur-
due’s win helped give the Big Ten
their first victory for this in-season
NCAA basketball series since its
founding in 1999. Purdue did not
have its best shooting game against
Wake Forest, but they were able to
make up for it by forcing 25 turn-
overs.
The Boilers first major road
game test came against the Ala-
bama Crimson Tide on a Saturday
night in December. Tide fans were
already charged up before the
game after hearing over the stadi-
um speakers that Alabama football
player Mark Ingram won the 2009
Heisman Trophy. There was even
more for Alabama fans to cheer
about when the unranked Crimson
Tide led the number 5 ranked Boil-
ers at the half. Purdue was down
for most of the second half, but
they responded with a full team ef-
fort to cut the lead. With only a few
minutes remaining, junior Robbie
Hummel hit a three pointer that
tied the game. Two steals by Chris
Kramer helped seal the comeback
for the Boilermakers who earned
their 9th straight win.
On New Year’s Day, Purdue had
its hands full with West Virginia,
one of the few remaining unbeaten
teams at the time. JaJuan Johnson’s
25 points and 10 rebounds in the
game helped put the Boilers on top
and advance to 13-0. After several
weeks of non-conference play, Pur-
due was one of four teams in the
NCAA to remain undefeated.
With the best possible start
that any Purdue fan could have
hoped for, the Boilers began Big
Ten Conference play on January
5th versus Minnesota. After top-
pling the Golden Gophers, Purdue
was forced to prepare for a rough
trip up to Madison, Wisconsin. This
was guaranteed to be a tough game
for Purdue seeing as the Wisconsin
Badgers have one of the highest
home winning percentages in the
nation. Wisconsin led most of the
game despite a Boilermaker rally
down from 16 points late in the
second half. In the end, the 17th
ranked Badgers proved too much
for Purdue as they handed the Boil-
ers their first loss.
A temporary slump followed
Purdue’s first loss when Ohio State
came to town. The Boilermakers
had a great start that was animat-
ed by Robbie Hummel’s six three-
pointers in six minutes to close out
the first half. But the Buckeyes bat-
tled back with a 10 point run late
in the game to tie it up and eventu-
ally take the lead and win by four.
A frustrating loss at Northwestern
continued Purdue’s three-game
losing streak.
JaJuan Johnson’s 21-point per-
The Purdue Review
formance helped put the Boilers
back on track by helping them de-
feat Michigan at home. Then, after
missing most of the first half of the
season due to a foot injury, Purdue
guard Lewis Jackson returned in a
rematch against Wisconsin. This
provided a significant benefit for
the Boilers since Jackson is well
known for his quickness and “court
recognition skills.”
Jackson had two points in his
first game back. Junior E’Twaun
Moore’s 20 points helped edge out
the Boilers over the Badgers 60-57.
An additional win over Penn State
moved the 18-3 Boilers back in the
top ten.
A hard-fought battle against in-
state rival Indiana followed as the
Boilers went on the road for the
first time since their three game
losing streak. Chris Kramer’s block
at the end of the game helped ad-
vance Purdue’s winning chances
and allowed them to take the lead
by making free throws. A last min-
ute attempt by IU failed to fall and
the Boilers prevailed. The game
in Bloomington was hard fought
between the two well-known bas-
ketball programs, but Purdue came
out on top with a 78-75 win.
The Boilers have a challenging
season still ahead of them with
games against Illinois and 5th-
ranked Michigan State. With their
sights set on winning the Big Ten,
Purdue has taken each game one
step at a time. If they hope to ad-
vance in the Big Ten tournament
and eventually the NCAA tourna-
ment in March, they must obtain
solid performances from their
starters as well as expect signifi-
cant performances from their
bench players. Despite some set-
backs and concerns, the Boilers
have had one of the best seasons in
recent memory. Great achieve-
ments are expected from them in
the post season.
 The Purdue Review February, 2010 19

Campus Diversions It’s better than taking notes

Stickey Wicket by Stewart Simpson

e Boilers
them de-
hen, after
alf of the
y, Purdue
rned in a
sin. This
nefit for
n is well
nd “court
Mallard Fillmore by Bruce Tinsley
ts in his
E’Twaun
edge out
rs 60-57.
enn State
ck in the

gainst in-
ed as the
d for the
ee game
r’s block Easy
Sudoku
elped ad-
chances
the lead
last min-
o fall and
he game
d fought
own bas-
due came
n.
allenging
em with
and 5th-
ith their
Big Ten, Fiendish
ame one
pe to ad-
rnament
Kakuro instructions: The object is to fill all empty
tourna-
st obtain squares using numbers 1 to 9 so the sum of each hori-
m their zontal block equals the clue on its left, and the sum of
t signifi- each vertical block equals the clue on its top. In addition,
m their no number may be used in the same block more than
ome set-
once.
Boilers
easons in
achieve- Sudoku instructions: The object is to fill all empty
them in squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear exactly once in
Sudokus provided by http://www.sudokuoftheday.com each row, column and 3x3 box.
 20 February, 2010
Ga-Ga For Gaga
By KRISTIN PATRAS
The audience seemed as though
it was going to detonate out of
sheer excitement at any moment.
All of Elliot Hall was chanting,
“LADY GAGA!” Many had slept out-
side in the freezing cold months
earlier in order to purchase tick-
ets, while others
had just
been completely swindled on Uni-
versity and 3rd in an attempt to
see Grammy nominated artist Lady
Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour. After her
first go at performing in West La-
fayette on January 14, the singer
left the crowd totally baffled when
she bailed due to claims of exhaus-
tion, despite the fact that opening
acts, Semi Precious Weapons, and
Jason Derulo, had already per-
formed. Nevertheless, Lady Gaga
fans can’t seem to get enough
of the eccentric performer
considering only one
ticket was refunded.
This time
around, it was
up to just Semi Precious Weapons
to get the crowd pumped for Lady
Gaga, and boy did they disappoint.
The cross-dressing, foul-mouthed
New York City rockers who have
been performing with Lady Gaga
since 2006 went on stage at 7:30
to perform for all of the “filthy mid-
westerners” in attendance. “Put a
Diamond in It” was just one of the
songs sung by lead singer, Justin
Tranter, who proudly admitted that
his behavior while walking through
the aisles of Elliot on January 14
almost put him in jail. On top of
that, the booze, vulgar language,
and cheeky comments thrown at
female members of the audience
might have been a little too much
Precious for Gaga’s youngest mon-
sters in the audience if not for
others as well. Fortunately, their
distasteful performance only
lasted until 8.
The audience, which
included Purdue’s
very own presi-
dent, France
Cordova,
was
The Purdue Review
then left to sit in their Gaga cos-
tumes in anticipation for an entire
hour while waiting for the true
diva to make her entrance. At 9
Lady Gaga finally graced an elated
audience with her presence as she
kicked off her last stop of the USA
Monster Ball Tour with, “Dance in
the Dark.” The remainder of the
performance was filled with plenty
of showy attire, exceptional vo-
cals, and a few speeches from Gaga
herself. In one instance, the artist
proudly announced that her fund-
raiser for Haiti raised over half a
million dollars and then dedicated
a song to the catastrophe stricken
country. Of course, it would not
have been a true Lady Gaga con-
cert if the tour did not end with a
bang. For the encore, a glitzy Gaga
told the audience that it was “Time
to give you what you deserve” and
then proceeded to sing her hit “Bad
Romance” with all of the sparkles,
special effects, and backup dancers
one could get away with.
So, were all her little monsters
impressed? Ali Moren, a sopho-
more in Hospitality and Tourism
Management at Purdue, waited 17
hours in the freezing cold outside
of Stewart in a failed attempt to
purchase tickets to see the super
star in person. Luckily, her aunt
graciously bought her two tickets
as a Christmas present that were
just five rows away from the stage
for over $400 a pop. “I wanted the
tickets badly…I am a huge fan of her
songs and her performances. She’s
always doing something crazy and
I didn’t want to miss out on an ex-
perience to see it all first hand,” Ali
said.
With tickets sold for more than
10x what they were originally
worth and only one refunded tick-
et, the Lady Gaga concert was an
enormous success. Despite the 12-
day intermission and peculiar
opening act, it’s obvious that Lady
Gaga’s fans are still gaga for her.