Government is made up of greedy lawyers, bureaucrats

TO THE EDITOR: The column “You can do good, without Nobel” (Oct. 12) is abhorrent. In essence, it praises demagogues and megalomaniacs and consoles us in our averageness for not achieving their greatness. Mr. Watson’s “illustrious” Nobel laureates are all powerful men. They do not go to bed at night unhappy. Rulers go to bed giddy with insatiate greed and lust for power. Stop treating them like saints or martyrs. No one forced them to seize the reigns of the state.

Buchanan’s beliefs about offensive language wrong

TO THE EDITOR:I was taken aback by the remarks made by Bay Buchanan reported in The Daily Tar Heel in Friday’s issue. Speaking on behalf of Youth for Western Civilization, Buchanan is quoted to have said, “The word ‘offended’ is an active verb. It means you choose to be offended.” Buchanan’s logic here is unfounded and threatens the decorum of the University so greatly enhanced by the mutual respect among its students.

UNC students have aims past middle management

TO THE EDITOR:While I appreciate Reed Watson’s inclusion of the little man in “You can do good, without Nobel,” (Oct. 12), I found offensive his declaration that “We all will likely end up as middle management — without affecting the world in any large and meaningful way.” As far as I’m concerned, he can speak for himself.

Viewpoints: Tax won’t in?uence bad habits

THE ISSUE: The N.C. Medical Society recently announced it will consider a resolution to support a statewide tax on unhealthy foods to combat obesity in the state. Proponents argue that a tax will help raise revenue for wellness programs to combat obesity and act as a disincentive for unhealthy lifestyles. Opponents say the tax would be an unfair regressive burden that won’t change behavior.

Viewpoints: Revenue will help fund wellness

THE ISSUE: The N.C. Medical Society recently announced it will consider a resolution to support a statewide tax on unhealthy foods to combat obesity in the state. Proponents argue that a tax will help raise revenue for wellness programs to combat obesity and act as a disincentive for unhealthy lifestyles. Opponents say the tax would be an unfair regressive burden that won’t change behavior.

Sound of sleep is classical music

I guarantee you’ll sleep through tonight’s UNC Symphony Orchestra concert. No, we’re not playing Bach. As part of the University’s 10x10 project, in which 10 new works are commissioned for 10 different UNC ensembles in — you guessed it — 10 years, Michael Gandolfi has written a symphonic work about the formation of dreams.

Cartoon for Oct. 14

Obama’s Nobel is burden, promise

I am well aware that everyone has their two cents to throw in about President Obama’s recent selection as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The decision was a shock to all of us, including the president himself.It’s undeniable that Obama’s recognition for this award is quite premature. He has not been in office long enough for his bold views of diplomacy to come to fruition, for his methods to be assessed and proven right or wrong.

No bids, no brains: N.C. General Assembly wrong to allow DHHS to award no-bid contracts; logic of doing so is ?awed

Citizens should be able to look up to elected officials and know that they are working as hard as they can to make our tax dollars go as far as possible. That is their job.The General Assembly has recently endorsed a no-bid contracting process for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that accomplishes just the opposite.Under this system, North Carolina’s government would award contracts to a single private company without considering competitive offers from other firms.

Peer pressure works best: UNC should work with peers to stop grade in?ation

Capping grade inflation at the University unilaterally would be a huge step in the right direction. But acting alone can only accomplish so much, and the University should strive for a joint-policy effort with peer institutions.Andrew Perrin, chairman of the Faculty Council’s educational policy committee, mentioned two ideas at the council meeting Friday for a joint effort to tackle grade inflation: An ACC-wide policy or some kind of collaboration with peer institutions.

UNC can and must do more to wean itself from coal

TO THE EDITOR:At UNC, we don’t need to debate the existence of global warming. We get it. If temperatures rise just four degrees Fahrenheit, scientists predict that the climate of North Carolina will resemble that of Florida.Studies show that North Carolina would be among the states most severely impacted by sea level rise due to loss of agricultural lowlands and tourism.

Bonfires don’t pose real danger to sports revelers

TO THE EDITOR:I sincerely hope Simon Conrad (“Bonfires are not ‘innocent fun,’ should be banned,” Oct.8) lost a cruel bet and wrote his letter as a satirical piece. The idea of the nature of Franklin Street celebrations as a violent “mosh pit” where people shove one another into the flames is exaggerated.The fact is that students, Chapel Hill citizens and celebratory out-of-towners that do jump these bonfires do so by their own choosing and pure enthusiasm.

Yates not solely to blame; cartoon assertion unfair

TO THE EDITOR:Mark Viser’s cartoon (Oct. 8) suggesting that T.J. Yates’ lack of football acumen is responsible for the Tar Heels’ offensive woes is both unfair and unethical.Yates is not solely responsible for the lack of offensive production; I would love to see Viser try and run an offense as his protection breaks down and his ground game gets stuffed time and again.

The Daily Tar Heel Caption Contest for Oct. 13

Every Tuesday, a cartoonist will draw an extra cartoon, and we want YOU to give it a humorous caption. Send your one- to two-sentence caption to dthedit@gmail.com, subject line “caption.” We’ll publish the best captions the following week as the lead cartoon, and the person with the best entry will win a 2009 National Championship poster.

Margolis ignores reality of college sports in column

TO THE EDITOR: It seems that the only one ignoring reality is associate opinion editor Greg Margolis in his column “Stadium plans ignore reality,” (Oct. 7). The recession is no reason for the Rams Club not to fund stadium renovations or for the University not to support it. A private organization whose goals and purpose are primarily to provide athletic scholarships and capital improvements is using their money to do just that.

Debate, public speaking skills are vital on campus

TO THE EDITOR: Meredith Engelen’s column (“Bring on the debate,” Oct. 7) did a good job highlighting the importance of debate on college campuses. While it’s true that many UNC students actively engage in valuable dialectic conversations, many do not because of fear of public speaking. Because debate is a means of “discovering truth” and a powerful tool for convincing others, public speaking is a skill all students should be interested in developing.

Honors program prides itself on access to many

TO THE EDITOR:In a recent column, (“No great ‘honor’ in Carolina program,” Oct. 5) Hannah Thurman noted that Carolina’s Honors Program is neither exclusive nor set apart from the rest of the University. We’re proud of that fact; it’s the reason The Fiske Guide has praised the program as one of the nation’s best and most accessible.

Patel can deny it, but YWC is hate-based organization

TO THE EDITOR:While it is laudable that Mr. Patel seeks to encourage and defend free speech on campus, he is either incredibly naive or disingenuous when he asserts that Youth for Western Civilization is simply a misunderstood “conservative” organization (“An unlikely leader,” Oct. 8). As he points out, YWC rails against the imagined dangers of “radical multiculturalism” and demands total assimilation of immigrant populations within their notion of what proper “culture” is.

Pay for your choices: Higher insurance for smokers, obese makes sense

North Carolina is weighing in on the fatty cost of state employee health insurance.This month, the state notified all its employees that if they are obese or if they smoke, they will pay more for health insurance in the near future.This is a good move. Taxpayers who lead a healthy lifestyle should not be forced to pay for those state workers who do not.State employees who use tobacco or have a body mass index above a specified level and don’t quit smoking or lose weight will be placed in an insurance plan that pays 70 percent of claims.

No board needed: Incident isn’t enough to warrant civilian review board

The town of Chapel Hill does not need a civilian review board. And the NAACP should cease its demands that the town establish one in the wake of the Charles Brown incident, when a black local business owner was stopped by police, who were searching for someone else. Brown’s detainment June 1 was a mistake.But the evidence is clear that the man police were searching for — Cumun Fearrington — shares similar facial features with Brown.