This is Viewpoints for Friday, April 20, 2018

Allow kids full childhood

Eighteen years ago, my parents received the news that my sister could skip the second grade and go straight to the third. They politely declined. Instead of seeing it as just an opportunity for their daughter to skip a grade of school, my parents saw it also as a year lost of her childhood. They wanted her to experience elementary school with the peers she had already made and experience all it had to offer.

A different approach is becoming increasingly popular in today’s world. Parents are pushing their children through school as fast as possible. Skipping primary school grades, AP courses, dual enrollment courses and online classes are used to rush students out of grade school. They replace them with classes originally taken on college campuses.

I understand that this practice may lead to less college debt, and an earlier year in which a young adult enters the workforce, but is that really what we want? Children should be able to enjoy their time before they are forced into office cubicles and industrial lines. They should let their imaginations run wild and experience the world they were brought into not long ago.

Why are we rushing students towards their inevitable countless years of labor? It isn’t like they would reach retirement earlier. (Especially if the government continues to do away with Social Security.) It seems as if being smart and accelerating through school results in less time for living the college dream. Less time to have fun; more time for working.

Tipping point reached

In a free society a person is at liberty to tip at a restaurant if they so desire or not tip if they so desire and they can tip or not tip based on whatever criteria they so desire. Once you try to determine if something is legal or illegal then you get government intrusion and nothing good will come of that. Of course, with the creeping in of socialism over the last 100 years we’ve long since quit being a truly free society.

Poor food experiences at Mercer

The problems with Mercer’s food service are blatantly obvious and every food option has its own issues.

I can enter Which Wich, be served and leave without the employees pausing their conversations to greet me or announce that my sandwich is ready — and it is likely that my sandwich will be cold by the time it is served. And this example of customer service can be seen all over campus. For example, it is extremely inconvenient to pay for my food at Panda Express while the cashiers lie over the counter playing on their phones — and being cussed at by a worker at the cafeteria because of confusion with my Bear Card is especially intolerable.

Aside from the lack of employee work ethic and poor customer service, having to avoid restaurants that consistently serve undercooked foods is preposterous. I, and many others, refuse to eat meat from Chick-fil-A or Panda Express due to being previously served raw chicken. As students, we pay far too much for a meal plan to have to accommodate restaurants that are not serving thoroughly cooked food. At the very least, students should feel confident that the food they are eating is safe for consumption.

The problems with Mercer’s food service reflect negatively upon Mercer as an establishment and should be addressed by the university by way of new management, closer supervision, retraining of employees or frequent inspections. We must pay for a meal plan, so why tolerate any less than quality customer service and properly cooked foods?

Get on board

I am amazed at the ignorance of some of the regular writers to the Opinion page. I expect such idiocy from the “socialist six” but not from some of the other regular writers. Why do these people think they know so much about Donald John Trump. Don’t believe everything “your” network tells you! Look at the facts. Most everything bad is down. Most everything good is up. Get on the Trump Train or please get out of the way to Making America Great Again! Your children and grandchildren deserve it.

Nothing wrong? Really?

Scott Pruitt’s apologists want us to disregard his contempt of ethical norms. They contend he is doing such a great job as the administer of Environment Protection Agency; therefore, he should not be held to the same standards as his subordinates. They maintain his acceptance of a cut-rate rental agreement from a lobbyist for the rental of a condominium is not a true ethical violation. They maintain Scott is entitled to fly first class because his efforts to reduce regulations have savec the taxpayers money. They claim he informed them that he was not aware that two of his staff received unauthorized pay raises; therefore, there was no wrong doing.

Through all of this, Mr. Pruitt has claimed that he has not done anything wrong. His staff maintains that he has to stay book him luxury hotels that are not allowed by government standards. He demands to fly on an airline that is not on the government’s approved list so he can accrue frequent flyer miles. Without receiving authorization, Pruitt directed his staff to install a $43,000 soundproof phone booth.

How can supervisors expect employees to follow the rules, when the administrator does not. His demand for privileged accommodations force subordinates to ignore regulations and standards to accommodate his luxurious needs. They must process his fraudulent claims for reimbursement.

Scott Pruitt is the perfect example of fraud, waste and abuse in government. His firing would be a major step in draining the D.C. swamp. But President Trump likes him, so he stays.

This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 8:49 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Friday, April 20, 2018."