Letters to the Editor
Posted on September 5, 2006

Give JMU battle cry for our future

JMU is a great place. With outstanding cuisine and beautiful aesthetics, what’s not to love? Since our letters of acceptance found our mailboxes, Harrisonburg has become our home-away-from-home. One of the most amazing parts of our university is the undying love for everything we believe in. We hold doors, we smile, and most importantly, we bleed two of the brightest colors in the entire ROYGBIV spectrum. What I am asking is that we spread this love not only to our current students, but to the thousands of prospective Dukes that visit our campus each and every day.

As many of you are well aware, JMU is gaining popularity exponentially. Because of this, we have hundreds of families on tours throughout the week. When they visit our home, we need to show them just how much we love having them here. So, the next time you see a tour out on the commons or hanging by the Quad, here is what you do: When you see them, scream “J-M-U!” They will be well informed before the tour begins that if they see any students/faculty/staff shouting this, they will respond back (yup, you guessed it) “DUKES!”

By doing this, you will engage each of our visitors and give them a real feeling as to what a great place Madison truly is. Please consider taking part in this campus wide effort. Who knows, your loudest “J-M-U” holler may be what it takes to bring in the future of James Madison University. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear you screaming!

Dan Boxer, junior quantitative finance major

FDA ‘implants’ OTC emergency contraception

It’s about time that Plan B got pushed through the FDA. This drug has been proven to be an effective form of birth control for over three years now, but politics got in the way of science once again.

For the opposition who feels this is a form of abortion, do a little research. Plan B works by sending a high dose of hormones, similar to those contained in birth control pills, to create a harsher environment for the fertilized egg to implant. If the egg is already implanted, the pills won’t work. Sperm fertilize eggs all the time, but unless the egg can implant safely into the uterine lining, the egg can’t develop into anything. Therefore, this method terminates nothing, only prevents.

There is a pill that can be used for abortion, RU-486, but it works completely differently than Plan B. This drug also does not promote promiscuity. The pill would be offered in the same drug stores that offer condoms and fill birth control prescriptions. I don’t see how there is any difference if all three work to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

I give a “thanks-for-doing-your-scientific-duty” pat to the FDA for approving this drug despite the governmental and special interest attempts to stop it. Maybe stem-cell research could be next?

Brooke Nestor, junior health science major

Calculating the cost of gas

In Thursday’s House Editorial, The Breeze asked the reader to “do the math” regarding the gas industry’s “outrageous” profits. Well, here it is:

The majority of the price you pay at the pump is for crude oil (55 percent). The cost has increased dramatically because we are competing for crude oil with the rapidly growing nations of India and China. Also, we import the majority of our crude oil from unstable and corrupt nations such as Iran, Argentina and Nigeria. The next largest component, refining and retailing, accounts for 26 percent of the price of gasoline. Lastly, 19 percent of the price of gasoline is derived from government taxes, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

If gas companies work for zero profit, it might lower the price by 10 cents per gallon at the current price. On the other hand, our state and federal governments combine to earn an average of 42 cents on each gallon of gasoline. Yes, your government earns more profit on a gallon of gasoline than the gas companies.

Lee Raymond, Exxon-Mobil’s former CEO, increased the company’s stock by 500 percent in his 12-year tenure. Just as the best athletes earn the highest salaries, so do the best CEOs. If he had worked for free, it would not even lower the price of a gallon of gasoline by one penny. If you are really looking to admonish a “greedy” CEO, instead take a look at Citibank’s Sandy Weill, who recently received a retirement package valued at $1 billion.

Nathaniel Clarkson, senior economics and geography major