4 I The Behrend Beacon
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress Of grievances. - The First Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution
Point and Counterpoint: Seat belts
When I was little, my dad was in a ear aeeident. It’
not for his seat belt, he would have been shot from his seat
and jutted through the w indshield. I like to think that his seat
belt saved his life.
Leer sinee I ean remember, ever sinee I have been able
to fasten my own seat belt. I have been. 1 ean't get into a car and
not do it. Ironically enough, in the ear my father currently
drives, there are no seat belts in the backseat. This forces me to
ride free from the clutches of the polyester strap that I want
nothing more than to be trapped bv.
There are people w ho think seat belts are stupid, point
less, claustrophobia inducing torture devices: these people do
not know that these devices save lives. 'ln 2002,42,850 people
died in traffic accidents. Of that number, 19,103 were not wear
ing seat belts” (edgarsnyder.com).
According to edgarsnyder.com, 4,200 lives could be
saved if 909 T of the U.S. population wears their seat belts. I’d
like to praise those programs that promote driving safety. If not
for these programs, such as seat belt check points, various road
signs and television commercials, people would not be as aware
of the need for seat belts.
I do not understand for the life of me why people
would not want to wear one. The claustrophobia that some peo
ple say they feel is such a small price to pay for being safe.
Same to those motorcyclists who enjoy not wearing helmets,
they must be crazy. Why would you risk so much?
People who do not wear seat belts also raise concerns
for other drivers on the road. Imagine this: you are driving
down the road, doing the regular speed limit, and all of a sudden you and another car
collide. The person in the other car dies and you do not. The other person was not
wearing his or her seat belt and you were. I don't know about you, but if I knew that
I were part of an incident w here someone died, I would have a very hard time going
to sleep at night.
Sure there are the infrequent eases where someone benefits from not wear
ing a seat belt, but when the ear is vacuumed, washed and waxed, these cases are far
fewer and less likely to be the ease.
On a lighter note, seat belts can be dressed up or dressed down. There are
fancy covers for them that you can match to the rest of your interior. They are not
that bad when you consider the huge impact they can have. Seat belts are more like
ly to save your life than to take it.
1 just get a comfy feeling when I am wearing my seat belt. 1 know, call me
a nerd, but at least 1 know that at the end of the day, I will be safe.
The Behrend Beacon
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By Jennifer Haight
editor in chief
News Editor
Chris LaFuria
Assistant News Editor Calendar Page Editor
Ashley Bressler Rachael Conway
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OPINION
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Mike Sharkey
As I started college. I was one of the few that had to take
the bus to school. There are no seat belts on buses. I got used to not wearing a seat belt. Naturally, anytime
I went anywhere with my parents, 1 was forced to wear my seat belt again. However. 1 don't think that the
driver or the passenger should have to wear a seatbelt if they choose not to.
If there is a law saying that a driver of a motorcycle doesn't need to wear a helmet, then I leel it
should be the passenger or driver’s choice to wear or not to wear a seat belt.
• " •
• •
Beacon Thumbs Up
- LEB movie of the week
- The creative writing speaker series
- Fall begins on Saturday
l - New seasons of fall sitcoms - Parking tickets
The Niedenberger and Kelecseny: Business Edition
Across
1. corporation- an association of
employers and employees in a basic
industry
3. loan- money lent at interest
6. stock- a supporting framework or
money invested or traded
7. credit- the balance in a person’s
account
9. lien- legal right to hold property of
another party
11. economy- the management of
expenses
14. profit-the excess of the selling price
of goods over their cost
15. income- salary
16. liability- any debt or obligation due
now or in sometime in the future
17. guarantor-one that assures the ful
fillment of a condition
21. interest- a charge for borrowed
money generally a percentage of the
amount borrowed
22. debit- the removal of money from
an account
23. capital- accumulated possessions
calculated to bring in income
Down
1. collateral- an 18 down that can be sold for cash
2. return- on investment
4. net- income; a company’s total earnings, reflect
ing adjustments for taxes, depreciation, etc.
5. principal- the total amount of money being borrowed or
lent
8. finance- a discipline concerned with determining value and
making decisions
10. portfolio- a collection of investments, real and/or financial
11. equity- an ownership interest in a business
Solution for last week’s puzzle is on page 5
Uv Miranda Kruse
copy editor
Wearing your seat belt is one law I could do without. II
your parents are any thing like mine, they wouldn t start the car until
everyone's seat belt was on. As a kid, this was the most annoying
thing I encountered every time I went somewhere with my parents.
My dad would yell out "Seat belts!" and my siblings and I w'ould
reach for our seat belts. However, we tried to get away with it if we
sat in the back of the van. This never worked, as one of us would
tattle on the other and mv mom or dad would stop the car until he
or she heard the familiar sound of a seat belt buckling into place. I
thought that only my parents did this until later on in high school,
when I dated a guy who wouldn’t drive to our destination until my
seat belt was buckled.
Needless to say, I hate seat belts. I hate when the belt rubs
against mv neck. I hate when the seat belt gets stuck and won't
move because you pulled it too hard, making the seat belt even
more of an inconvenience because you can't get it on in the first
place. I also hate the automatic seat belts- there is no warning for
them. After the door closes the seat belt just comes at you. It's scary.
When I was in my senior year of high school, I got a call
from my mom while I was out one night. Her voice was panicked
and she told me to sit down. My best friend. Samantha, has been in
a car accident. I rushed to the hospital and when I saw her laying
there I couldn't do anything to keep from crying. Yet, she was alive
and she was going to be okay. Her mother and I went outside to talk
and basically to calm each other down. It turns out that Samantha
wasn't wearing her seat belt, but that's precisely what saved her
life. Samantha still won't wear a seat belt in a car.
Beacon Thumbs Down
- Temperatures are dropping
- Penn State’s football rank
- Steelers loosing against Jacksonville •
and the loan a broker makes
13. balance- sheet; financial statement showing
assets and liabilities at a specific time
17. gross- earnings; a person’s total taxable income
prior to adjustments
18. asset- anything that an individual or an entity owns that
has value
19. bond- third party obligation promising to pay if a vendor
does not fulfill its obligations under a contract
20. market- e.g. stock
Friday, September 22, 2006
4 -11 *
4 „..11.•
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