The
Purdue Review
Vol. 6 - Issue 6 A journal of conservative thought and opinion | www.purduereview.com
Tea for Twenty Thousand
By Scott Sowers
editor@purduereview.com
We just don’t get it, those on the
far left and in the media said. The
Boston Tea Party was all about taxa-
tion without representation so why
did hundreds of thousands of Ameri-
can gather at “Tea Parties” all over
the country on Tax Day 2009? After
all, we have representation and our
taxes are not all that high. They say
that we don’t know our history; we’re
sore-losers, void of ideas that will
move the country in the right direc-
tion; we just hate Barack Obama; and
most importantly, we’re all a bunch
of racist, gun-totin’ red necks. They
know us so well.
Having attended the Tea Party at
On the Inside
the Indiana State House in Indianap-
olis, I can say that these accusations
couldn’t have been further from the
truth. So who exactly were these peo-
ple and what were they protesting?
The Tea Parties which took place
a week ago had more to do with mas-
sive and exceedingly wasteful spend-
ing by the federal government (not to
mention local and state governments)
than it did with high taxes. This can
be evidenced by the signs these pro-
testors were displaying at the event.
Although I didn’t conduct a scientific
survey, the vast majority of signs I
saw decried out-of-control spending
and an ever increasing debt.
Yes, we are fully aware that this
reckless spending began during the
Bush administration and many of us
Federalism Is not a Crime
»» Page 8
spoke out against it then, but it’s get-
ting exponentially worse with every
week. If it doesn’t stop soon, a pros-
perous and free America will be a
thing of the past.
“But the Tea Parties were about
taxes, not spending!”
This is quite true, but you can’t in-
crease spending by this amount and
not increase taxes in the near future
as well. I don’t know of many people
who attended these parties that be-
lieve federal income taxes are out of
control. We do believe, however, they
are going to increase relatively soon
and by much more than the president
has claimed. Californians and New
Yorkers are already experiencing
rapidly rising taxes on just about any
»»See “Tea Parties...” - pg. 11
2009 Baseball Predictions
»» Page 10
“Quidquid latine
dictum sit, altum
viditur.”
April, 2009
Debt and the
Death of
Nations
By Josh Teasdale
josht@purduereview.com
During the first half of the 1600’s,
a time of unrest and war in Europe,
the Spanish Empire in the Carib-
bean came under attack by Dutch
privateers who raided Spanish ships
for goods and supplies. In response
to these attacks the Spanish Empire
built a fleet of ships and sent it to the
Caribbean in an attempt to root out
the privateers and establish safety
for Spanish trade ships in the region.
The fleet was successful in causing
significant damage to the privateers,
however those privateers returned
once the Spanish fleet left. Upon the
return of the fleet to Spain, it was
determined that the cost of fighting
the privateers was greater than the
goods and supplies which were lost.
In addition, the cost of fighting Dutch
privateers, an occupation in the Neth-
erlands, and the cost of the 30 Years
War led to the eventual bankruptcy of
the Spanish Empire, and its fall from
greatness.
Often times we associate military
might with a country, nation, or em-
pire’s ultimate strength. Tanks, sol-
diers, aircraft carriers, and bombers
are all imposing sights. However the
ultimate test of a nation’s strength is
not its military power but its econom-
ic power, and how much of that power
is needed to sustain a nation’s liabili-
ties. Although a state may be able to
borrow heavily to build a powerful
military, without an equally power-
ful economy, no amount of military
»»See “Debts...” - pg. 4
Cartoons, Crosswords,
Sudokus and more
»» Page 15
THE PURDUE REVIEW April, 2009 Page 2THE PUR

Letter From the Editor

Join The Purdue Review The Purdue Review has come a long way since its inception in
February of 2006. This marks our 19th issue and the first time in
The Purdue Review is looking for staff writers, columnists, our history that we have published six issues in a school year. This
photographers, section editors, copy editors, layout editors, and also marks my last issue as Editor in Chief.
web designers.
It has been an honor serving in this capacity for the last two
All majors are welcome. years, leading the charge against liberalism and advocating
conservative political philosophy on campus. Over the last three
If you’re interested in joining the Purdue Review, please con- years, we have received plenty of criticism from our more liberal
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Review and am certain that it will be in good hands under the

P The
REVIEW
incoming Editor in Chief, Jay Wood. Look for our next issue, a
URDUE special freshmen edition, at Boiler Gold Rush this coming August.
Scott Sowers, Editor in Chief Sincerely,
Jay Wood, Managing Editor
Scott Sowers, Editor in Chief
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Disclaimer: The views expressed within these pages are the views held express-
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Page 2THE PURDUE REVIEW April, 2009 Page 3

Editorial: Purdue Student Government

With every Purdue Student Government election, a plethora of ideas are proposed on how to improve life and
education on campus. Despite the efforts of candidates and Purdue Student Government officers, however, many
students continue to see the Purdue Student Government as an ineffective or irrelevant part of life at Purdue. The
actual, real powers of PSG are limited. Instead of having any kind of direct control over the budget, policies,
regulations, or personnel of Purdue, PSG attempts to influence the Purdue Administration by representing the
student point of view through Purdue officers.
Coming up with innovative ideas involving weather controlled domes, moving sidewalks, endless constitutional
revisions, or EPODs may sound great but in the end are just ridiculous and far beyond the bounds of PSG.
There is always the temptation in government to achieve greatness by advancing some huge initiative, new
activity complex or breakthrough technology. The actual needs of students here at Purdue, however, are far
less complex. With the current economic downturn, perpetually rising tuition fees, and the decreasing value of
a bachelor’s degree, it is the cost of a college tuition that most directly affects a student’s ability to attend and
succeed in college. Instead of proposing new fantastic ideas which would likely cost more and thereby increase
tuition, Purdue Student Government should seek to be the loyal guardians of students’ money and work to lower
out tuition and fees.
Over the course of the 2009 campaign, the Kline/Shrack ticket proved to be more than capable of communicat-
ing with Purdue students. As part of their platform, they promised to provide the students with a breakdown of
how students’ tuition is spent. This is a fantastic idea. In addition to giving students this information in an easily
understood and innovative form, the student government administration should seek to go line by line through
the Purdue budget in order to offer money saving suggestions.
Other campaign promises made by the new PSG administration, such as wireless internet in dorm rooms and
the installation of automatic faucets and blow dryers in the restrooms are either unnecessary or will cost more
money. If students want wireless internet in their dorm rooms, they can buy a wireless router (for less than $50).
The rest of us don’t need to foot the bill for that. If hand dryers will save money within a relatively short time we
might support the idea, but we haven’t seen any studies produced by the Kline/Schrack campaign to support this.
Let’s also not forget that hand dryers don’t actually dry hands, they just blow germs around the room.
Instead of trying to pander to every niche group on campus, like the Kline/Shrack ticket did, future tickets
should focus on projects that will affect the vast majority of students. We’re tired of hearing the tickets claim
they’re die-hard Republicans or conservatives just to get our vote. We don’t care what they label themselves;
we care more about what they plan to do once in office that will positively affect all of us. In other words, they
need to focus less on promising everything we want but don’t need (e.g., more on-campus bus routes) and focus
more on projects and plans that will make Purdue more affordable.
One of the greatest challenges of a business, government, or organization is to spend less money. Accomplishing
a reduction in spending at Purdue, which would reduce the need for tuition increases in the future, would be a far
greater accomplishment than many of the other ideas which have been proposed by our student government over
the last few years.
THE PURDUE REVIEW
Debts...
From Page 1
strength will guarantee a position of
power in the world for long.
History is full of examples of great
nations with powerful militaries who
eventually over-extend themselves
and succumb to bankruptcy. One of
the earliest such examples is prob-
ably Rome, which after dominating
the world for centuries was forced to
begin devaluing its currency in order
to pay debt by decreasing the percent
of precious metals in its coins. The
Spanish and French Empires each
dominated the world for separate pe-
riods of time, but became so indebted
and overleveraged maintaining their
empires that they eventually declined
in their standing in the world. In or-
der to try to pay debt, the Weimar
Republic printed so much money
that its currency became essentially
worthless. No amount of soldiers or
tanks could have prevented such col-
lapses. Indeed, it was fewer soldiers
and tanks which might have saved
those empires.
On September 11, 2001 the Unit-
ed States was attacked by Al Qaeda
terrorists. In response to these at-
tacks, the United States attacked the
Taliban in Afghanistan, and eventu-
ally Saddam Hussein in
Iraq. Many have tried
to make the compari-
son between the course
that past fallen empires
have taken, and the cur-
rent path of the United
States. Certainly over
the last 8 years our na-
tional debt has risen at a
startling rate. However,
the debt which has been
incurred over the past
8 years due to United
States military engage-
ments abroad pales in
comparison to the debt
we will incur because
of proposed domestic
policy.
Gross Domestic
Product, GDP, is often
used as a better measure
of national debt than the
raw dollar amount, because without
an understanding of the size of a na-
tion’s economy there is no frame of
reference to understand that dollar
amount. On September 11, 2001 the
total national debt was about $5.8
April, 2009
trillion, or approximately 58% of
the total United States GDP. Just six
years later the national debt had risen
to about $9 trillion, representing 68%
of GDP. Currently the National Debt
stands at $11.2 trillion which repre-
sents approximately 89% of the total
GDP.
Over the 6 years following the
September 11th attacks, the National
debt as a percentage grew by about
10 points as a percentage of the
GDP. This is certainly worrisome.
However, due to the federal bailout
plans, government intervention in
the economy, and a slowdown in the
economy from September 2007 to the
present, the debt has risen a startling
21 points as a percentage of the GDP.
More has been spent on the federal
bailout plans than the total cost of the
Afghanistan and Iraq wars combined.
Furthermore there appears to be little
intent on the part of the Federal Gov-
ernment to slow the rapid growth of
the US Debt. The increases over the
last few years are matched in project-
ed future increases in the debt stem-
ming from increased spending on the
federal level.
The CBO (Congressional Budget
Office) projects the total national
debt will double in the next decade
under the Obama Administration.
This mirrors the doubling of the debt
under the Bush administration. With-
out a similar increase in the Gross
Domestic Product of the United State
Economy, this dollar increase could
further amplify the ratio between debt
and GDP. As if that wasn’t troubling
enough, future projected deficits in
entitlement programs such as Social
Security and Medicare, which are not
included in budget projections, will
“History is full of examples of great
nations with powerful militaries who
eventually over-extend themselves and
succumb to bankruptcy.”
further inflate the national debt once
these programs start taking in less
money in taxes than they pay out.
In 2004, Osama Bin Laden, in
a video released shortly before the
Presidential Election alluded to his
strategy for defeating the United
States, saying “We are continuing
this policy in bleeding America to
the point of bankruptcy. Allah will-
ing, and nothing is too great for Al-
lah,” “We, alongside the mujahideen,
bled Russia for 10 years until it went
bankrupt and was forced to withdraw
in defeat,” and “All that we have to
do is to send two mujahideen to the
furthest point east to raise a piece of
cloth on which is written al Qaeda,
in order to make generals race there
to cause America to suffer human,
economic and political losses without
their achieving anything of note other
than some benefits for their private
corporations.”
The Strategy of Al Qaeda was
never to cause a physical destruction
of the United State, but instead to pro-
voke the United States to overextend
itself militarily to the point where our
economic strength could not sustain
our military strength. In planning this
strategy, Bin Laden has shown that he
understands the historic trend of na-
tions to spend themselves into obliv-
ion. The most terrifying part of the
United States’ current economic situ-
ation, though, is that the biggest in-
crease in our debt is not coming from
military spending, but from domestic
spending. If Bin Laden’s strategy was
to see the United States spend itself
into crushing debt, he need not take
more action against us to provoke an
Page 4THE PUR
unaffordable military response. We
are heading down that path already
without him.
There is, however, some good
news. While our debt is high, and is
increasing at a terrifying pace, there
are plenty of examples of countries
which currently maintain a much
higher Debt-to-GDP ratio. Currently,
Japan has a national debt which is
170% of its GDP. Italy and Egypt
both have debts which account for
more than 100% of their GDP. At the
height of World War II the United
States had a national debt which ac-
counted for 125% of its GDP. Other
countries, including the United States
in the past have been able to survive
and deal with higher debt levels than
we have now.
The United States still has some
time before it becomes so overlever-
aged that there is no hope for a return
to fiscal solvency. But action must be
taken now before it is too late to re-
duce spending and bring spending in
line with tax revenues. The devastat-
ing effects debt can have on nations
can be seen throughout history and
are most often closely related to the
reason great nations and superpowers
fall. While in the past many nations
have bankrupt themselves by over
extending their militaries, the trend in
recent history is for nations to over
spend domestically in order to create
unsustainable levels of debt. Terror-
ists, rogue nations, and other danger-
ous elements are certainly threats to
our national security, but many of
them know that overspending, in the
long term, is the most reliable way to
defeat a great world power. Indeed,
debt more than anything else have
been historically shown to be
the greatest threat to National Secu-
rity.
Page 4THE PURDUE REVIEW
Now They Call Me Infidel
By Jay Wood
jay.wood@purduereview.com
On April 9th, a standing-room-
only crowed filled the Krannert Au-
ditorium to hear Nonie Darwish,
an author and public speaker. Dar-
wish, born and raised in Egypt, is a
well known critic of Islamic Sharia
law. She came to Purdue to speak as
part of the Conservative Coalition
for American Values (CCAV) guest
speaker series. Nonie began her talk
by saying, “I’m not trying to offend
peace-loving Muslims. It’s important,
though, to question Islam as well as
all religions and systems.” Although
Mrs. Darwish gave this disclaimer,
Nonie Darwish -- Photo by Matt Kaehr, CCAV
the remainder of her talk proved to
be offensive and upsetting to the
many Muslims in the audience.
Nonie then reminisced about her
childhood in the Middle East. She
said that she was constantly told lies
and propaganda. “They told me not
to accept sweets from a stranger; it
might be a Jew trying to poison you.”
She shared about having to read jiha-
dist poems in school and listening to
anti-Semitic prayers in the mosques.
According to Darwish, the anti-West
rhetoric was not only in the schools
and mosques, but it was also on tele-
vision. “Every day on Arab TV, peo-
ple say, ‘Let’s take over Rome, Brit-
ain, and the United States and convert
them to Islam. Allah Akbar!’”
Nonie spent a great deal of time
discussing the oppressive nature of
Sharia law, particularly as it relates
to women and women’s rights. She
said, “Talking about women’s rights,
April, 2009 Page 5
democracy, and peace with Israel is the rule of law. Rebellion against the and not statements, but the angriest
a taboo; it can put you in jail.” Dar- leader, even if the leader is unjust, is of the audience members did not
wish later explained that Sharia law an enormous crime.” Darwish called comply.
allows flogging of women and makes Sharia a “dictator-friendly law” that Of the several questions that were
a woman’s testimony in court worth “allows for despotic rule”. asked, many did not pertain to Dar-
only half of a man’s. Further, she
said that in cases of rape, the female
victims are criminalized unless they
have four male witnesses to say that
“Every day on Arab TV, people say, ‘Let’s take
the woman was not tempting her op-
pressor. over Rome, Britain, and the United States and
Nonie described the power-
control system that Sharia imposes,
saying, “Sharia has taken control of convert them to Islam. Allah Akbar!’”
every aspect of people’s lives, in-
cluding putting to death Muslims
who leave Islam. Every aspect of She said that Muslim leaders will wish’s speech. Audience members
life is controlled, just like Commu- invite non-Muslim leaders to Islam. began asking, “How do you live,”
If they decline, violent jihad (de- “How did you make a living before
fined as a permanent war institution 9/11,” and most interestingly, “How
against Jews, Christians, and Pagans) much did you pay for your clothes.”
will follow. “Sharia law says Muslim Perhaps that was intended to be some
leaders must execute jihad. If they sort of insult. To that question, Non-
don’t, they’ll become an apostate.” ie jokingly replied, “The Zionists
After her prepared remarks, Nonie bought them for me.” The outraged
opened up for questions. The CCAV gentleman who asked the question
tried to limit audience members to then stormed out of the room.
just one question and no statements. Although Nonie Darwish angered
This became increasingly difficult most Muslim audience members, she
because, despite Mrs. Darwish’s dis- provided insight to Sharia law and
claimer that she was not trying to of- culture that many people outside of
fend peace-loving Muslims, the large those societies never knew about.
Muslim audience that gathered to The turnout for her speech was one
hear her speak was noticeably angry. of the highest for any of CCAV’s
Questioners, while refraining guest speakers this year. Whether
from heckling during the speech, be- people enjoyed the content of the
gan blasting Darwish’s character and message or not, the event was a great
accusing her of misrepresenting the success and left some eager to know
Koran. The CCAV tried to hold those who CCAV will bring to campus
nism and Fascism.” Expounding on asking questions to stick to questions next.
the death penalty given to apostates
(Muslims who leave Islam), Darwish
said, “According to all Muslim law,
if a Muslim leaves Islam, they must
be killed immediately. No ifs, ands,
or buts. It’s not just an old law on the
books that doesn’t happen. It hap-
pens. Islam is the only religion on
Earth that kills members who leave.
It’s against the law to change your re-
ligion. If you’re born a Muslim, you
must stay a Muslim.”
Darwish mentioned that many
people are killed in the Middle East
who speak up for change. “I owe it to
my 3000 fellow countrymen [killed
on September 11th] to speak up.”
She went on to explain the dic-
tator system in place in nations that
use Sharia law. “A Muslim leader
can come to power through seizure Someone asks Nonie Darwish a Question.
of power—meaning through force. -- Photo by Matt Kaehr, CCAV
Sharia exempts Muslim leaders from
THE PURDUE REVIEW
Peeing on a Forest Fire
By Trenton Morton
trentonm@purduereview.com
Regardless of whether you believe
in climate change and global warm-
ing as a worldwide issue, future leg-
islation in the United States and the
European Union concerning these is-
sues will impact your way of life.
The problem with the current, ro-
bust environmental movement is that
few in Washington seem to vote be-
fore considering the mathematically
illogical nature of sweeping energy
legislation. They also fail to factor in
the unbridled economic growth and
demographic transformation taking
place in China and India. Investment
in numerous burgeoning technologies
is essential, but this should not repre-
sent the majority of renewable energy
methods our government pursues, and
these developments should not come
with the egregious act of smother-
ing our nation’s coal industry. This
course of action is a recipe for zero
overall environmental improvement,
a hindrance on American industrial
The ‘H’ stands for horse. There’s a bushel of carrots for overdrive.
production while other countries ex-
pand, and minimal renewable energy
breakthroughs.
The most recently drafted Con-
gressional legislation pertaining to
carbon based emissions stipulates a
reduction by 20% by 2020. While the
ends seem justified, brief economic
April, 2009
analysis finds the means to be quite
troublesome; further examination all
but diminishes the relative success of
the goal as well.
About a month ago, I wrote in The
Exponent about the perils of cap-and-
trade and its nearly $1 trillion price
tag over the next decade for private
citizens. The real problem with this
type of legislation is that it ignores
the economic development of the
world’s two most populous countries,
China and India. These two nations
are witnessing the emergence of a
middle class that thrives on consum-
erism and industrialization. In major
Chinese urban centers, cars have re-
placed the numerous bicycles of a few
decades prior. In Indian metropolises,
commercial and residential high rises
have replaced undeveloped neighbor-
hoods.
To give some idea of the magnitude
of this growth, it should be noted that
China increased its carbon emissions
by more than 80% between 2002 and
2005. While its growth was nowhere
near as rapid as China’s, India man-
aged to increase its carbon emissions
by 88% between 1990 and 2007.
Both China and India have imple-
mented, and continue to implement,
environmental legislation which does
little to curb atmospheric emissions
that come with the furious growth.
Without the cooperation of China and
India, the United States is fighting
what basically amounts to a unilateral
battle against climate change.
Fast forward to 2020 and sup-
pose the current Congressional en-
vironmental efforts have succeeded
in reducing our carbon footprint by
20%, while growth of India and Chi-
na persists at just one-fourth of the
previously rates. Let’s even suppose
that the entire European Union and
Canada manage to lower their carbon
emissions rates by 20% as well. After
all these great lengths and taking into
account very conservative growth
estimates for China and India, the
economically stifling carbon taxes
result in a net gain of worldwide car-
bon emissions by more than 4 billion
metric tons. While the United States
falls further behind these growing gi-
ants with their emphasis on economic
growth, the global surplus of atmo-
spheric carbon still increases.
Now arguments may arise that
Congress also proposes the research
and development of new technolo-
gies such as solar, wind, and geother-
mal energy generation methods and
carbon capture for coal plants. The
economics of these new technologies
will be quite a hindrance, and they
cannot be depended upon to main-
tain the United States’ position at the
world’s pinnacle of industrial produc-
tion.
The estimated costs of solar, wind,
and geothermal energy are $.16-$.20/
kWh, $.05-$.20/kWh, and $.05-$.08/
kWh respectively. These costs far
exceed the rates of coal, natural gas,
and nuclear power that are $.04-$.06/
kWh, $.04-$.06/kWh, and $.05-$.07/
kWh respectively. Solar energy costs
make it nearly impossible to signifi-
cantly contribute to the United States’
energy grid in the near future. A 2004
study at Carnegie Mellon University
found that wind could realistically
generate up to a third of the United
States’ power as economically as our
current methods, so exploratory ef-
forts in this field are warranted. Geo-
thermal energy’s costs are compa-
rable with the costs of nuclear, coal,
and natural gas, but a 2006 study at
the Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology found that by the year 2056,
our country’s geothermal capacity for
Page 6THE PUR
economically viable energy produc-
tion would fall well under 10% of the
United States’ electric output. As for
carbon capture, some investigation
has found that it could significantly
reduce strain on the environment and
private utilitiesby shielding the atmo-
sphere from coal’s carbon output and
preempting regulatory fines.
I support the technological devel-
opment of clean energy alternatives
to coal and natural gas, but their re-
search should be complemented by
much great investment in proven and
reliable methods as well. Dependence
on coal has hurt the environment, but
dependence on these aforementioned
new technologies will damage a huge
American coal institution.
I also support carbon capture as it
might help utilities circumvent com-
ing suffocating emissions regulations;
its slow implementation, however,
will not prevent higher energy costs
in the near future. These innovations
are on the right track, but their scope
is somewhat limited and their wide-
spread practicality requires further
economic improvement in their de-
sign.
Economic regulation based on the
prospects of human impact on the cli-
mate is a risky venture. While carbon
emissions are believed by some to
warrant aggressive federal action,
some of the by-products of current
legislation will cause significant
harm. Higher energy costs, damaged
private sector growth, and energy
policy that condones the unproven
methods while ignoring the time-test-
ed, will slow the United States’ econ-
omy while not even lowering the
world’s carbon footprint. While grow-
ing giants in the East develop at an
incredible pace, U.S. politicians are
planning to handicap our economic
growth. In its current state, the Con-
gressional proposal contains some
great ideas, but the plan is unfortu-
nately neglectful. If global warming
is as big of a problem that some sci-
entists would have us believe it to be,
our government’s proposed actions
are akin to peeing on a forest fire
while shooting itself in the foot.
Page 6THE PURDUE REVIEW
Senate Bill 16
By Jordan Hebbe
jordanh@purduereview.com
The recently passed Senate Bill 16
proposes a wide array of alterations to
the previous driving codes. It passed
with a 96-3 vote.
Teen drivers, who already deal
with enough regulations, will now
have to deal with even more. They
will have to wait an additional six
months after turning fifteen before re-
ceiving their driver’s permit. In addi-
tion, they will be required to wait an
additional five months in order to gain
their license and record fifty hours
of driving time behind the wheel in
order to obtain their driver’s license.
Teens will face an 11:00pm curfew,
with the exception of returning from
church or school-related activities.
The bill prohibits anyone under the
age of eighteen from using a telecom-
munications device while operating a
vehicle, except when making a 911
call. It also increases the length of
time during which certain aged pas-
Russian at Purdue: A Course in Big Wimp Diplomacy
April, 2009
sengers cannot ride with a probation-
ary driver.
The few representatives who op-
posed the bill stated that they felt
the new regulations were too exces-
sive and were interfering too much
with the lives of citizens. Given the
It’s not a car phone; it’s a portable phone.
amount of new rules in the bill, I feel
the same. It is not the government’s
responsibility to ensure that teens are
safe behind the wheel, but rather their
parents’ responsibility. Those who
supported the bill claimed that it was
certain to save lives. Although the
Page 7
statistics show that teens who are new
to driving commonly wreck during
the first several months of driving, in-
creasing the age will not necessarily
decrease these statistics.
Increasing the length of time that a
teen has to wait in order to receive
their license (by a mere 150 days)
cannot automatically decrease the
chances of being involved in an acci-
dent. A better solution, which was not
included in the bill, would be to re-
quire more intensive training in driv-
er’s education classrooms. The in-
crease in required hours of driving
time will likely be beneficial to teens.
However, those in opposition to the
bill make the point that parents, who
are the sole supervisors of the fifty
hours driving time, may not be com-
pletely honest in logging the hours.
At this point, the bill has already
passed and it will take effect in July
of 2010.
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Barack Obama will restore
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help mend relations between
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by Amanda Thayer
THE PURDUE REVIEW
By Aaron Anspaugh
aarona@purduereview.com
Ours is a world filled with dan-
gerous people. In Afghanistan, Al-
Qaeda and a resurgence of the Tali-
ban are threatening the new found
liberties of that population. In North
Korea, a Communist dictator is re-
suming a nuclear weapons program
after performing missile tests, un-
challenged by the world. In Iran, a
militant-Islamic government is pur-
suing “peaceful” nuclear research,
all while threatening Israel and pre-
dicting the fall of America. Pirates
are capturing ships off the coast of
Somalia, the militant group Hamas
is bombing Israeli cities with sup-
port from Saudi Arabia, and Chinese
hackers are penetrating our nation’s
electrical grid. Yet even with all these
clear and present dangers, President
Obama and his newly appointed
Homeland Security Department have
a more pressing danger to confront:
right-wing extremism.
On April 13th, a report from the
Homeland Security Department was
discovered and leaked online. The
title of this report is: “Rightwing Ex-
tremism: Current Economic and Po-
litical Climate Fueling Resurgence
in Radicalization and Recruitment.”
Even from the title alone, the word
April, 2009 Page 8THE PUR
choice implies some very danger- document, one cannot help but no- include the Oklahoma City Bomb-
ous threats. Words such as “extrem- tice the lack of actual evidence as ings (a mere 14 years ago), a few
ism” and “radicalization” bring to to what these groups have done, are isolated incidents of border vigilan-
mind thoughts of terrorists strapping doing, or might possibly do in the tes attacking illegal immigrants, and
bombs to children. Words such as “re- future. The paper goes into extreme “hostility” toward anti-gun laws.
surgence” and “recruitment” bring to detail to explain how these extrem- This patchy collection of scarce and
mind images of Al-Qaeda propagan- ists might bring in more recruits for a varied evidence is supposedly all part
of a “right-wing extremist” move-
ment that has gained enough power
Excerpt 1: “Many rightwing extremists are that it should be considered a danger
by the government.
antagonistic toward the new presidential Who exactly are these extremists?
The best example comes from a foot-
administration and its perceived stance on note describing the people who are
a part of this danger to society (See
a range of issues, including immigration and Excerpt 2).
Rejecting federal authority in fa-
citizenship, the expansion of social programs vor of state or local authority? That
definition would brand the Framers
to minorities, and restrictions on firearms of the U.S. Constitution to be threats
unto the government WHICH THEY
ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are CREATED. The 10th Amendment
reads, “The powers not delegated to
increasingly galvanized by these concerns the United States by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the States, are
and leverage them as drivers for recruitment.” reserved to the States respectively, or
to the people.” This concept of Feder-
alism was in place to make sure that
da videos and websites. This type of resurgence due to the poor economy, the Federal government did not over-
language is repeated throughout the but fails to explain what this really power the States in issues that it need
entire document, forming an instant means. These groups are described in not be involved. Issues of national
mental image of the type of people ways that focus heavily on ideology, importance, such as the military,
these “right-wing extremists” really but little on any threat (See Excerpt currency, and foreign relations were
are. 1). clearly to be managed by the Federal
When reading through this 9-page The examples actually provided government, and were delegated as
 Page 8THE PURDUE REVIEW
y Bomb-such in the Constitution. Over the
o), a fewyears, many issues that constitution-
r vigilan-ally should have been handled by the
ants, andstate or local governments are now
un laws.handled by the Federal government.
carce andBut according to this new report
ly all partfrom the Obama Administration, tak-
t” move-ing the Constitution’s side on this is-
gh powersue makes you a threat to homeland
a dangersecurity.
Former Senator Fred Thomp-
xtremists?son is now a threat to this country,
m a foot-according to Obama’s Homeland
who areSecurity Department. He has been
iety (Seepro-gun, anti-illegal-immigration,
anti-abortion, and most of all, a
ity in fa-self-proclaimed Federalist. During
ity? Thatthe 2008 Republican primaries, he
Framerschallenged all elected officials to ask
be threatsthemselves, in relation to govern-
CH THEYment powers, “Should government
mendmentbe doing this? And if so, then at what
egated tolevel of government?” While the pro-
nstitution,cedures for dealing with “right-wing
States, areextremists”, such as Fred Thompson,
ctively, orare not outlined in this paper, one can
of Feder-only assume they would be handled
sure thatlike other Homeland Security threats
not over-are handled: by adding names of
at it needsuspicious individuals to watch lists.
national One such group that may be added
military,to this list is the large number of U.S.
ons weremilitary veterans. The paper says that
e Federal“Returning veterans possess combat
egated asskills and experience that are attrac-
April, 2009 Page 9
tive to rightwing extremists. DHS/ of…political dissent. provides amnesty for illegals, takes
I&A is concerned that rightwing When reading any portion of the away their guns, and taxes them to
extremists will attempt to recruit and document, a simple change of lan- death to pay for social programs.
radicalize returning veterans in order guage makes the real purpose of the In Excerpt 2, relating to the groups
to boost their violent capabilities.” paper known. In Excerpt 1, relating of right-wing extremists, it can be
re-worded to show how the Obama
Administration is threatened by any
Excerpt 2: “Rightwing extremism in the United opposition to its huge expansions of
the federal government, as well as by
States can be broadly divided into those groups, any opposition on individual issues,
such as abortion and immigration.
movements, and adherents that are primarily It is a sad day for America when
the ruling party stops debating the
hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular opposition party, and simply deems
the opposition to be a threat to the
religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that safety of the country. According to
are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal the definitions provided in this paper,
at least a third (and possibly more)
authority in favor of state or local authority, of the country is considered a “right-
wing extremist” by the Obama Ad-
or rejecting government authority entirely. It ministration. One can only remem-
ber how Jews were deemed a threat
may include groups and individuals that are to the government by Nazi Germany,
soon to be marked with Stars of Da-
dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to vid, and eventually shipped to con-
centration camps. While this com-
abortion or immigration.” parison seems extreme, it is no more
insane than the idea that the Federal
government now is watching out for
According to the Obama Adminis- to the issues that the extremists use, Federalists, gun-owners, pro-lifers,
tration, returning veterans are to be changing a few words makes it clear border-security advocates, return-
watched, not praised for their bravery that the Obama Administration is ing veterans, and many conservative
and sacrifice, since the “right-wing threatened by the fact that average people at Purdue, within Indiana, and
extremists” might “recruit” them and people are going to become anti- across the nation.
add them to their massive movement Obama once he ruins the economy,
THE PURDUE REVIEW
2009 Major League Baseball Predictions
American League Predictions
By Rohan Johnson
rohanj@purduereview.com
American League East:
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, oops
I mean Rays, will prove in 2009 that
their dominant 2008 season was no
fluke. With a stifling lead-off combina-
tion of B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford,
the Rays are sure to have a vibrant of-
fense. Returning Rookie of The Year
Evan Longoria will have a field day
with most pitchers with speedy and
competent base running. With solid
top three pitchers Scott Kazmir, Matt
Garza, and James Shields, the Rays
pitching staff will be more than able
to keep the Rays winning all the way
through October.
American League Central:
The American League Central is
really anyone’s division to win. But
it’s the defending champion Chicago
White Sox’s to lose. Every team in
the American Central is solid… or
not. The truth is we can’t really tell
who’s good or not in this division.
Under manager Ozzie Guillen the
White Sox have begun the transition
from long-ball to grinder-ball, and
from old to young. Carlos Quentin is
back and he is sure to make another
run for the Most Valuable Player title.
The young left fielder out of Stan-
ford University broke his wrist on a
bat four-fifths through last season. If
Bartollo Colon and Jose Contreras
are able to continue their recovery
from surgery, look for the White Sox
to be a force into the playoff stretch.
American League West:
It’s a mystery that this stellar team
April, 2009
did not win the World Series last
year. After finishing the 2008 regu-
lar season with a record of 100-62,
the Angels fell short in the playoffs
with a disappointing end to the sea-
son. A combination of Bobby Abreu,
Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, and
Gary Matthews combine for the best
outfield in Baseball. The Los Ange-
les Angels of Anaheim will win the
American League West. Their only
real adversaries are the Seattle Mari-
ners. When up against a wall, this
resilient Angels team will remember
their October collapse and pull them-
selves up stronger than ever.
American League Wild Card:
The wild card is… well…. Wild. It
is spontaneous and unpredictable. But
what we can quite clearly see is that
the Red Sox are a team with plenty
of experience and skill. Despite Josh
Beckett’s elongated conflict with
Bobby Abreu, The Red Sox pitching
staff is one of the strongest in base-
ball. With the addition of Jason Bay
the offense only improves. In the
midst of a strong American League
East, the Red Sox will emerge as the
Wild Card winner.
American League Most Valuable
Player: Carlos Quentin
Carlos Quentin was one frustrat-
ing wrist slam on the bat from an
MVP title last year. With thirty games
left in the season Carlos Quentin was
at the top of MVP voting with a bat-
ting average of .288 and 36 home
runs. Despite missing the last stretch
of the season, Quentin still finished
fifth in the MVP race. He’s back now
and recovering quickly from a broken
wrist already atop the league in home
runs. He’s pissed off in a way that
only Carlos Quentin can be, and he is
ready to dominate.
American League Rookie of The
Year: David Price
David Price is the next great pitch-
er of our time. At twenty three years
old, he is already recognized as one
of the nastiest pitchers in baseball.
Passion, intelligence, and one vi-
cious slider combine to create one of
the most deadly pitchers and rookies
we’ll see in quite some time.
American League Cy Young: Roy
Halladay
With over ten years of experience
pitching in the majors, it is finally time
for Roy Halladay to win a Cy Young.
With a career 3.51 ERA, the veteran
pitcher’s pitches are looking sharper
than ever. With the combination of
experience and style, Roy Halladay
will win the Cy Young award. Nei-
ther Cliff Lee nor CC Sabathia have
what it takes to win it this year.
National League Predictions
By Ross McMullin
rossm@purduereview.com
National League East:
The second best division in the
NL will see a dog fight between the
Phillies, Marlins, and Mets. The end
of the season will see the best middle
infield in baseball combined with the
development of young pitching sur-
prisingly upset Philly and NY with a
Florida win.
National League Central:
The Astros have retooled with
Pudge and the presence of veterans
like Miguel Tejada and Carlos Lee,
but like the NL East, young talent and
pitching will prevail. The onslaught
of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and fu-
ture CY Young talent Yovani Gollardo
will bring the punch necessary to win
the NL central. Braun may very well
win MVP for the National League.
Page 10THE PUR
National League West:
Manny Ramirez and a solid young
pitching rotation will bring success
to LA unless Congress forces Barry
Bonds to share his steroids through-
out the division. This is the least tal-
ented division in the NL by a long
shot. Look for the Dodgers to have
little to no challenge on their route to
the postseason.
National League Wild Card:
The NL Central will beat up on
each other enough to allow the Mets
and David Wright to eke out the wild
card playoff spot. St. Louis also has a
good shot here along with last year’s
World Series champions the Phila-
delphia Phillies. The wild card win-
ner will be a veteran team and have a
fantastic shot at making it to and win-
ning the World Series.
National League Most Valuable
Player: Albert Pujols is in line to win
his third Most Valuable Player award
this year. The slugger has continued
to wow audiences and destroy pitch-
ers. After finishing the season hitting
.357 with and 37 home runs, he has a
career batting average of .334. Pujols
is still in his prime and it would be
an outrage for him not to win another
Most Valuable Player.
National League Rookie of the
Year: Cameron Maybin
Cameron Maybin of the Florida
Marlins is the definition of a five-tool
baseball player. He has a rare com-
bination of speed, defense, a solid
arm, and a great bat. The young cen-
terfielder will drop jaws flashing his
glove as well as his unprecedented
power at the plate.
National League Cy Young: Yovani
Gollardo
Yovani Gallardo will turn this
season into one to remember. Hitters
around the league are unfamiliar and
unprepared for the talent Gallardo
possesses. His only weakness are left
handed batters which he could quick-
ly improve.
Page 10THE PURDUE REVIEW April, 2009 Page 11

Tea Parties...
From Page 1
thing that can be taxed.
California and New York are test
beds for liberal agendas and if these
are to be the models for the rest of
the country (and it’s quite clear that
the current congress and administra-
tion intend for them to be), then it’s
more than reasonable to assume that
insanely high taxes and massive un-
employment are sure to follow. If the
political and economic models are
failing in these states, then why does
anyone think they’ll work for the rest
of us?
“Ok, taxes will probably be going
up but that is what Americans voted
for—we still have representation!”
Again, it wasn’t the protestors
who didn’t get it, it was their crit-
ics. The American people voted for
change wrapped in a suave package.
They didn’t reject conservative ideas
like limited government and fiscal
responsibility because these ideas
weren’t being debated in the last elec-
tion. John McCain did not represent
conservative political philosophy.
After all, his favorite “conservative”
was Teddy Roosevelt, who was not a
conservative (by today’s definition)
but rather the country’s first progres-
sive president—he was the precursor
to Woodrow Wilson and FDR, not
Ronald Reagan.
John McCain may have been void
of ideas (if not, he certainly had no
clue how to explain them), but con-
servatives and independents certainly
are not void of ideas. We may have
representation, but we’re not being
represented well by EITHER party.
We’re not sore losers because conser-
vatism didn’t lose, Republicanism, as
defined by John McCain and George
W. Bush, lost. This isn’t just about
Republicans or Democrats because
we’re tired of both of them. If the
politicians in either party don’t repre-
sent what we believe, then we need to
find people to replace them.
Because the media and the far left
did not understand what these events
were about, they completely mischar-
acterized the people who attended
these events. According to them, the
Tea Parties were comprised of crazy
people—a bunch of dimwitted, rac-
ist rednecks that didn’t know their
We Support Free Markets, Not Free Loaders
American history and weren’t fit for
“family viewing,” according to one
CNN reporter. In short, these people
were fringe, right-wing nut-jobs paid
to be there by Fox News (probably to
improve their dwindling ratings, no
doubt).
After reading about the kind of
crazies who would be there (accord-
ing to the media and far left), I almost
expected it to be true. I was prepared
to witness a bunch of 9/11 Truthers
hold signs such as “Abolish the FBI,
CIA, & Federal Reserve!,” “What
is the Trilateral Commission?,” and
“Paul/Barr 2012.” There weren’t.
I arrived at the state house to see
thousands of average, every day peo-
ple silently holding signs like “Stop
mortgaging my future,” “I’m only 9
years old and I already have $175,000
of federal debt,” and “Stop the pork,
it’s just not kosher.” These weren’t a
bunch of crazy, right-wing nut jobs.
They were the same people you’ll
find at a high school football game, at
the lake in the summer, and across the
aisle from your cubicle at work.
I saw children, high school stu-
dents, college students and business
people and lawyers still in their suits.
The front lawn of the State House
was packed with families, elderly
couples, and dog-lovers. There were
blacks, Indians, and Hispanics; there
were poor people, middle class, and
rich people. In all, the crowd was a
fairly normal distribution of Hoo-
siers. The event coordinators claimed
there were 10-15 thousand of in at-
tendance while the media claimed
there were 2000 to 2500 (my guess
would be somewhere around 2500,
maybe a little more).
The event was more of a rally than
a protest. Among the speakers at the
event was talk radio host Greg Gar-
rison, a Thomas Paine impersonator,
and several people from the crowd,
including one European lady who
had moved with her husband to the
U.S. from Ireland several years ago
because they felt they couldn’t live
the life they desired across the pond
(immigrants have the best perspec-
tive on what “America” and freedom
mean). None of the speakers were
politicians.
In the end, the event was a wild
success. No one was arrested and no
one was told to leave. In fact, when
everyone cleared the State House
lawn, there was almost no trash left to
pick up. No one would have guessed
that thousands of people had been
gathered there just minutes before
(I’m not joking, there was hardly any
trash, and I HATE litter).
No one was advocating a violent
revolution, but they were advocating
a revolution at the polls. It was a Tea
Party not because we’re being taxed
without representation, but because,
as in the original colonies 230 some
years ago, government is once again
overstepping its bounds (and has
been doing so for a long time). Our
freedom and individual liberties are
gradually being revoked by a govern-
ment which thinks it knows what is
best for us.
Members of this new conservative
revival movement won’t be blowing
up buildings or assassinating politi-
cians, but we will make every (legal
and moral) effort to vote them out of
office because “We’re mad as hell
and we’re not going to take it any-
more!”

Several Thousand People Gather at the Indiana State House to Protest Out of Control Spending Don’t Tread on Me
THE PURDUE REVIEW
PUCR Year in Review
By Katie Ryan, Vice Chairman
A circus, a wild goose chase, and
a crocodile hunt in the everglades?
Combine the three and you come
close to describing the year the Pur-
due College Republicans have tack-
led.
I am often asked by my peers,
“What do the College Republicans
do?” Ironically enough, I am gener-
ally dumbfounded by the question
and end up fumbling my words like
Kyle Orton in a bowl game, and thus
produce an answer falling far short of
justice. To skim the surface, you could
say we do anything and everything to
advance the efforts of the conserva-
tive Republican movement.
We began the fall semester in a
dead sprint. The first week back to
school, we hosted an event attended
by nearly one thousand students and
of course the guest of honor, Gover-
nor Mitch Daniels. The Purdue Me-
morial Lawn was converted into a
sea of green “My Man Mitch” t-shirts
and the event was a huge success. A
Photo of the Month
April, 2009 Page 12THE PUR
few weeks later, on the anniversary of
the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a memorial
service was held in the Engineering
Mall to honor not only the victims of
the tragedy, but the men and women
who have served to preserve our free-
dom and those who are still currently
serving.
Throughout the year, Purdue Col-
lege Republicans were privileged to
interact with many politicians and,
in some cases, influence a positive
result in their elections. We were
able to meet and/or assist Governor
Daniels, Governor Palin, Senator
McCain, Congressman Buyer, Con-
gressman Pence, State Senator Her-
shman, State Representative Truitt,
State Treasurer Murdock, and many
local government officials. Our club
has been blessed with many opportu-
nities and we have made it a point to
capitalize on each one.
From laser tag to Relay for Life
to elections to tea parties, the Purdue
College Republicans have held fast to
their values and ideals and propagat-
Advertisement Paid for by The Purdue College Republicans
ed them in a very proactive manner.
New Amelia Earhart Statue -- Photo by Amanda Thayer
Page 12THE PURDUE REVIEW
Voter ID Hubbub
By Josh Teasdale
josht@purduereview.com
In 2005, the Indiana General As-
sembly passed one of the most robust
voter ID laws in the nation, requiring
voters to show photo IDs issued by
the State of Indiana or the Federal
Government at the polls. The ID must
include an expiration date. Since its
passage, the law has come under at-
tack by some who claim it disenfran-
chises voters by placing a burden on
people who don’t have a photo ID
which meets the necessary require-
ments.
The constitutionality of Indiana’s
Voter ID law was challenged in the
Supreme Court which found the law
to be constitutional, despite claims
that requiring a proper ID constituted
a poll tax. Here at Purdue, there has
been controversy in the past because
Purdue ID’s lack printed expiration
dates, a requirement under the cur-
rent law. This problem, though, was
remedied by the Tippecanoe County
Clerk’s Office and the Board of Elec-
“Randy Truitt, representing the 26th House
District gave his strong support to students
voting in his district, asking only that they vote
with ID’s which meet the legal requirements,
which currently includes Purdue Student ID’s.”
tion who, in an agreement with Pur-
due, allowed students to vote with
their ID’s by using a Purdue database
of current students as a method of
determining the validity of the ID.
By using Purdue’s database, and the
magnetic strip on the back of a Stu-
dent ID, essentially an electronic
expiration date was used to validate
student ID’s.
This system has come under attack
by Democrats in the State legislature
who are seeking to eliminate the ex-
piration date requirement altogether.
Currently in Indiana, there is no stan-
dard for the design of Student ID’s, so
some state schools include expiration
dates on their ID’s while others do not.
April, 2009 Page 13
A number of possible solutions to this
problem exist, including eliminating
the expiration date requirement, us-
ing Purdue’s authentication system,
or mandating expiration dates on
State School ID’s. Instead of engag-
ing in a faithful debate and effort to
fix this problem, many on the left side
of the aisle, both in the statehouse and
here on campus, have been using the
issue to attack Republicans.
Democrats (and those in support
of their proposal) claim that eliminat-
ing the requirement of an expiration
date on student ID’s for the purpose
of voting would not significantly in-
crease the possibility of voter fraud
in Indiana. This very well may be the
case, and if eliminating this require-
ment were the only way to remedy
the problem it might make sense.
However, here at Purdue, we have
proof that we can keep this require-
ment and let students use their ID’s
too. Despite this lucky turn of events
which allows us to have our cake and
eat it too, many have taken to demon-
izing individuals who support the
press the student vote, (at least at Pur- quirement for that very system. This
due) either party could be damaged. kind of double talk seems to indicate
In a short speech before the Indi- those who oppose the current legal
ana House of Representatives, Randy requirement are not attempting to en-
Truitt, representing the 26th House franchise students who already can
District gave his strong support to use their Student ID’s, but instead are
students voting in his district, asking trying to score cheap shots at politi-
only that they vote with ID’s which cians who they oppose.
meet the legal requirements, which This is not what Purdue needs.
currently includes Purdue Student There are plenty of universities who
ID’s. However, in a press release, he don’t have the technological exper-
was accused by the organizers of the tise to come up with the system we
current laws. March 31st press conference of say- have at Purdue. We should be focus-
At a press conference held on ing that “students should not be vot- ing on solutions for those public insti-
March 31st, Republicans who sup- ing in West Lafayette, where they will tutions. A number of solutions exist
port the current legal requirements be leaving in two to three years and which can satisfy both sides, keeping
for voter ID’s were attacked for ev- the people at the local level will not the expiration date requirement in
erything from attempting to suppress affect their lives.” [To view a video place, while allowing student ID’s to
the student vote to attempting to of Randy Truitt’s speech on this topic be used. Either helping other univer-
keep poor voters from the polls. This visit www.PurdueReview.com] sities develop a Purdue-like system,
type of rhetoric goes way outside Other opinions on campus have or requiring a two year expiration
the boundaries of the facts surround- been equally schizophrenic as the date on State School ID’s would solve
ing this problem; indeed the leaders College Democrats, and Purdue this problem. By resorting to cheap
of the Purdue College Democrats, ACLU. In a bizarre editorial, the Pur- personal hatchet jobs, the Democrats
ACLU, Young Democrats and other due Exponent praised Purdue’s ID au- in the General Assembly and else-
organizations have apparently gone thentication system, which provides a where are sabotaging their own
out of their minds. In 2004, Purdue greater level of security than a simple claimed attempts to help people vote.
precincts voted for George W. Bush; printed expiration date, while at the Perhaps that was never their goal at
this was before the voter ID law ex- same time supporting a change in the all.
isted. If there was an attempt to sup- law which would remove the legal re-
THE PURDUE REVIEW
Principles vs Populism
By Aaron Anspaugh
aarona@purduereview.com
In a perfect world, things would be
different: computers would not crash;
winter would not last beyond January;
no professor would schedule a project
or exam at the same time as another.
In terms of the government in this
perfect world, everyone would vote
for the candidate that best represents
their beliefs, morals, and principles.
This vote would not be unanimous by
any means, but it would not be affect-
ed by advertising or media spin that is
put onto candidates. In reality, there
are some people who indeed match
the description of an ideal citizen in
the “perfect world.” This number,
however, is shrinking in relation to
the overall voting population.
As technology expands, advertis-
ing and spin throughout an election
cycle have become more impor-
tant than the candidates themselves.
President Franklin Roosevelt used
the medium of radio to place himself
directly into the homes and hearts
of Americans, thus blinding them to
his idiotic and socialistic policies for
many years. President Kennedy, in
the 1960 election, used the medium
of television to advertise his rela-
tively good looks in comparison to
Richard Nixon, thus blinding many
Americans to the inexperience and
poor judgment of Kennedy’s future
“The good thing about bad decisions is that
they are a learning opportunity.”
administration. In this most recent
election cycle, President Obama used
internet-based technologies that most
Republicans did not utilize, leading
to a branding of Obama as tech-savvy
and in-touch with the Net-Generation.
This, along with Obama’s “historic”
campaign message of change and his
lack of a serious opponent, assured
the Democrats the White House for
4 years.
Even though technology is chang-
ing, some techniques have stayed the
April, 2009
same for ages. One such political tool
is known as populism. On a basic lev-
el, populism is not necessarily a bad
thing. Originally, the term was used
to represent groups who were bring-
ing political and societal change that
was the will of the population (hence
the term populism). In recent years,
the term still involves the struggle
for political and societal change, but
no longer is the will of the people of
any concern. Populism today, as il-
lustrated by many politicians, is the
blatant misrepresentation of princi-
ples in order to deceive a population
into supporting a person or idea. This
can include class warfare, pandering
to special interest groups, or outright
lies (depending on the audience).
Populism has always been around
in some form or another, but with
the advent of newer technology and
coupled with the enhanced research
on marketing and branding, populism
no longer relies on a master orator to
gain momentum. Image is now ev-
erything, and an entire campaign can
be carried on the shoulders of those
who are simply caught up in the
wave of powerful advertising, media
saturation, and groupthink. Principles
and values are no longer the deciding
factors among voters. Today, a flashy
website, a catchy YouTube video, a
clever commercial, or a popular Fa-
cebook group might be the final influ-
ence that pushes a population to elect
a candidate.
The examples of populism need
not be only national. In our local Pur-
due University Student Government
elections, 3 tickets fought for votes
among students. I was able to hear
personally from all of the candidates
about their platforms and plans for
Purdue. Included in this meeting was
my 13-year old brother, who was stay-
ing with me for the day. At the end of
the session, I asked my brother what
he thought of the candidates and he
told me, very bluntly, that he thought
Kline/Shrack was only saying what
we wanted to hear, and that Hatfield/
Corrigan was the only ticket that ac-
tually had any reasonable ideas. This
was coming from a kid who knew
nothing of Purdue issues, but I agreed
with him wholeheartedly.
After the meeting, we went to my
room and decided to check out the
Kline/Shrack website. We were both
extremely impressed with the flashy
“Principles and values are no longer the
deciding factors among voters.”
intro, the clean design of the pages,
and the simple URL (www.Your-
Purdue.com). The next day, I saw
the Kline/Shrack people handing out
bottles of water with their names on
the labels, as well as littering campus
with flyers and yardsigns. I was hop-
ing that the true issues would shine
through to Purdue students, showing
the Kline/Shrack ticket to simply be
a combination of a solution to every
student complaint they could think
of, whether it was feasible or not. I
was hoping that the outrageous idea
of the EPOD would drive students to
question the sanity of the candidates
involved. I was also hoping that the
constant harping on “supporting the
Rec Center” would fall on deaf ears,
since no candidate would have any
impact on the project whatsoever.
What I learned on the results day was
that, at least in this election, populism
won out over principle.
At this point in the political cli-
mate, conservatives are tending to
be rather pessimistic. They see the
Democrat majorities in Congress,
along with President Obama in the
White House, as a signal that the will
of the people is no longer as conser-
vative as it once was. Looking at the
sheer numbers, this may appear to be
the case. When looking at the elec-
tion from a populism-oriented point
of view, a different picture appears.
The American public got caught up
in a wave of “hope and change.”
They focused more on the historic
Page 14THE PUR
nature of the election rather than the
actual stances held by Obama. They
projected their own interests and pas-
sions into the empty book of Obama’s
rhetoric, envisioning all their wildest
dreams coming true because of the
great incoming savior of the nation.
Just as a tidal wave recedes back
to sea at some point, populism will al-
ways be challenged at some point by
the enlightenment, education, and ex-
perience of the people. This certainty,
however, may take many years or
even generations to come to fruition.
President Obama may win in 2012, or
he may lose. What I do know is that
the American people are much more
conservative than the media assumes
them to be. Most Americans, when
dealing with their own personal lives,
live and make decisions in a way that
aligns more with conservative ideals
than with liberal ideals. Due to fac-
tors such as advertising, branding,
and groupthink, these ideals can be
distorted before those Americans en-
ter the ballot box.
Just as children are influenced us-
ing peer pressure to do things they
know to be wrong, the American pub-
lic can also make decisions that go
against their better judgment. The
good thing about bad decisions is that
they are a learning opportunity. Chil-
dren grow up and mature, using the
mistakes of the past to learn and plan
for the future. America will indeed
face the consequences of Election
Day 2008, but I hope we learn from
the mistake and make better decisions
in the future. There will be quite a bit
of “change” in the meantime. It could
be as early as 2010, or as late as 2020,
but at some point, Americans will
snap out of the spell of populism and
let their experiences and principles
guide their votes.
Page 14THE PURDUE REVIEW April, 2009 Page 15

DEAD WEEK DIVERSIONS - Don’t Forget Your Boomstick!

Stickey Wicket by Stewart Simpson

Mallard Fillmore by Bruce Tinsley

Sudoku
Easy

Fiendish

Kakuro instructions: The object is to fill all empty

squares using numbers 1 to 9 so the sum of each horizon-
tal block equals the clue on its left, and the sum of each
vertical block equals the clue on its top. In addition, no
number may be used in the same block more than once.

Sudoku instructions: The object is to fill all empty

squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear exactly once in
Sudokus provided by http://www.sudokuoftheday.com each row, column and 3x3 box.
 Page 16

April, 2009

THE PURDUE REVIEW

Hey, kids, do you want to be the coolest cat on the street? You’ll be able to wow your friends with the new Recession Edition of Clue brought to you by The Purdue
Review. Who killed The United States of America? Starring Hillary Clinton as Mrs. Peacock, Nancy Pelosi as Miss Scarlet, Barack Obama as Colonel Mustard, Al Gore
as Mr. Green, Barney Frank as Mrs. White, and Tim Geithner as Professor Plum. Did Al Gore use Environmentalism in the Smoke Filled Room? Perhaps it was Hillary
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