Page 8 Friday, September 13, 1985 The Ca| Editorial Priceless... The battle between liberals and conservatives rages on. The liberals favor a cooperative policy, one that gives aid to those in need. The consevatives argue that to give support to the poor and needy encourages failure and mediocrity. They favor a strict free market approach that rewards enterprise and success. The con servatives argue that true competition encourages quality and achievement. The African problems shatter the idea that need is always caused by laziness or lack of motivation. There are times when the strong should help the weak. American history is a story of cooperation as will as competition. A blend of these approaches is necessary. A minor skirmish in this continuing debate was fought on cam pus Wednesday. Provost Ruth Levanthal met with members of the Humanities Department to discuss the needs and fate of the humanities at Capitol Campus. The faculty presented the provost with a partial list of im provements they thought were necessary to their department and the campus. The provost in turn presented the faculty with a list of reasons why their requests could not attract funding. The humanities do not have bottom line benefits. The arts are not a growth industry. Economic development is the focus of the people and agencies who fund University programs. Humanities may get left behind because its economic ben fits can’t be demonstrated in the same way that business or engineering train ing can. These are some of the points Leventhal used to explain her position. The implication is the humanities are not competing successfully and should be abandoned. But, there are considerations beyond econmics. Some things are priceless. This is \yhat a thing beyond value is called. Priceless. The word creates thoughts of wealth that can not be measured. The Hope Diamond, the largest in the world, is priceless. There are a few other gems that have worth because they are unique. Some are the largest. Others have a richness of color. They are a\\ pricless. But, the treasures we most prize are not accidents of nature. They are the result of human effort: A rare piece of ancient sculpture; the recorded history of mankind; An original manuscrupt by Shakspeare. All are priceless. These are pieces of a puzzle that tell us who we are and what we have done. They are essential in helping us discover where we are going. They are priceless. There are things that have value that can’t be measured by money. Human activity at its best is not dictated by econmics. It is moved by a need to know and understand. We need our scientists and technicians to know the human past and present of their efforts. We need the humanities. They are priceless Capitol Times Friday, August 30, 1985 V 01.20, No.l Published by the students of Penn State’s Capitol Campus, Middletown, PA 17057 The Capitol Times welcomes letters from readers. Letters intended for publication must be signed by the author and indicate his/her club or organization affiliation, if any. The Capitol Times reserves the right to edit or reject letters at its discretion. Letters published do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper or its staff. Dave Donlin Editor-In-Chief Stacy Krnjaic Production Manager Maria Kent ...News Editor Joseph Michalsky ..................Managing Editor Jennette De11’A1ba..................... Advertising Manager Beverly Halbrook ..................Public Relations Manager Michael 8ri11.....................„ Business Manager John Drexler ; Photo Editer Ken Stiggers Staff Writer Jane A. McQuain Staff Writer Alan Pincus Staff Writer _ . , , . ... Printed at the Press and Journal, Advising and consulting ° 9 Middletown. Text dislts processed Mark S. Guralnick >itol Times iotgry. Mltfltlwrn, V r ~ J _ College Press Service -4 \WL STREET 4 lli'nlirSE fill i i l||l : | allEglSSr fflkMjm i i I § if ib^^^Kl1 8 1 s Ub^mP “TV is my guide” Television has really helped me to become a better person. I had been going through life convinced my parents had shown me the proper way to act, but a closer inspection of television’s more popular shows has shown me a better way. I have learned varied things covering the whole spectrum from how to treat women to how to drive my car properly. The old me thought that women actually meant what they said. If they gave “no” signals it meant no, “yes” signals meant yes. From “Three’s Company” and “Too Close for Comfort” I learned that yes means no and I have been able to save myself from some potentially embarrassing situations. The Suzanne Somers character on “Three’s Com pany” and the blond daughter on “Too Close for Comfort” shattered my original idea of women. Although they wear clothes so tight it would be im possible for a wrinkle to ever form, this in no way means they are trying to attract men. Every time either of these characters has invited a man to be alone with them, the poor sucker falls for the same trap I would have fallen for and actually tries to make sexual advances. The au dience cheers as our heroines slap tne faces of these sexual perverts. Armed with this knowledge, I have been able tb turn down the last five invita tions from women who asked me to go back to their apart ments. Although I have been taking many cold showers late ly, at least I have been saved GOLL.EGE READING LIST from making several social faux pas. I thought the proper way to deal with people in a business setting was to treat them fairly and establish a good reputa tion. From J.R. Ewing in “Dallas” I learned that you should try to give the shaft to your friends at every oppor tunity and try to ruin their lives as well as their businesses. In my experience however, I have found it hard to bring a person to his knees when the largest purchase I made was $2OO for Cynicism £ H auto repairs. Maybe I’ll have to 1 wait until I have a larger in come before I try to ruin peo ple’s lives. But, at least now I’m ready. In the old days I thought if I ever struck it rich, I’d settle down to a life of leisure and comfort. Now, through wat ching “Hart to Hart” and “Matt Houston,” I have learn ed that if one becomes a millionaire the proper ambition should be to get people to shoot guns at your head at least once a week. I’m so stupid that I would never have figured this one out on my own. I had an inate fear of guns, but it’s ob vious that all these gangsters and hit men can’t hit even h sta tionary target, so my fears were unjustified. I was taught to be a defensive driver and never learned the joy of putting the accelerator to the floor. By watching “The Dukes of Hazard” I have learned that when you are put into a dif ficult situation in an automobile, the best way to get out of trouble is to gun the engine and try to get the car air borne if possible. Just recently I was approaching a large pothole in the highway. My misguided instincts told me to slow down and avoid contact at all costs. However, having just watched the Duke boys in a similar situation, I put the petal to the metal and tried to jump it. For some reason my 1970 Volkswagen did not go air borne like the “General Lee” and I suffered extensive damage underneath. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise as it may give me an opportunity to screw my auto mechanic in a business deal. I’m sure there are many other lessons I can learn from TV. Just the other day I saw a great soap opera. It showed what you do to your neighbor’s wife when he goes away on a business trip. I’ll have to try it out as soon as possible. I’ve learned that my instinctive reac tions are probably the result of an improper upbringing and I have been able to turn my per sonality around. I think that television can be a great learn ing tool and everybody can change their lives for the better as 1 have done.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers