Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Two good posts on mackenab.com
Allen (whose thoughts on the evangelical vote I mocked yesterday) had two good posts on NYT op-eds today (emphasizing the fact that it's the idea and not the man who should be criticized).
Allen's first post addresses this op-ed (registration required) on legacy admissions. Legacy admits are inherently unmeritorious and something which I (and Allen and the op-ed writer) feel that the public at large would not prefer. While I don't think legacy admits should be outlawed (a private school should be free to do as it wishes though public schools would be a different matter), knowing which schools perform legacy admissions would be valuable for the public to know in estimating the quality of a graduate from that school. And that's the point of legislation being introduced by Teddy K.
Allen's second post focuses on what should be the appropriate drinking age based off of the comments in this op-ed (registration required). A point that Allen brings up jives with my own thoughts on the matter - If at 18 you're considered responsible for your own actions (i.e., you can vote, you can enlist in the army, you can buy a gun, and you can be put to death for crimes you commit), why aren't you considered responsible enough to buy a beer?
Should we really believe that a beer is more dangerous than a gun? More dangerous than a car? Tying all of that together, I once saw a convenience store near Ewing VA that proudly displayed a sign that said "Beer Gas Guns." (That doesn't really advance my point, but I've been looking for a way to fit it that phrase since I've been blogging.)
The op-ed covers some other good stuff, particularly if you're in academia.
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Allen's first post addresses this op-ed (registration required) on legacy admissions. Legacy admits are inherently unmeritorious and something which I (and Allen and the op-ed writer) feel that the public at large would not prefer. While I don't think legacy admits should be outlawed (a private school should be free to do as it wishes though public schools would be a different matter), knowing which schools perform legacy admissions would be valuable for the public to know in estimating the quality of a graduate from that school. And that's the point of legislation being introduced by Teddy K.
Allen's second post focuses on what should be the appropriate drinking age based off of the comments in this op-ed (registration required). A point that Allen brings up jives with my own thoughts on the matter - If at 18 you're considered responsible for your own actions (i.e., you can vote, you can enlist in the army, you can buy a gun, and you can be put to death for crimes you commit), why aren't you considered responsible enough to buy a beer?
Should we really believe that a beer is more dangerous than a gun? More dangerous than a car? Tying all of that together, I once saw a convenience store near Ewing VA that proudly displayed a sign that said "Beer Gas Guns." (That doesn't really advance my point, but I've been looking for a way to fit it that phrase since I've been blogging.)
The op-ed covers some other good stuff, particularly if you're in academia.
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