Letters to the editor Jan. 18

Response to trillion-dollar coin article
The problem is spending

The trillion dollar coin came up in this last debate on the fiscal cliff. The debt ceiling debate will happen in February. The Federal Reserve is a private bank with full control over our nation’s monetary system with no real oversight. When our government makes a deficit, there must be a loan to pay the deficit. If we cannot find a bank to buy the debt, the Federal Reserve buys it with U.S. dollars that it prints, just like the coin idea.

 The more debt the Federal Reserve buys, the more money there is in the economy. This may sound good but with an increase in circulation, prices increase due to increased scarcity of goods. Increased circulation will lower the value of the dollar which will eventually cause it to lose its place as the world trade currency. Once that happens, the United States will hyper inflate its currency if monetary policy greatly changes.

The problem is the spending. There shouldn’t be any debate on raising the debt ceiling. The debate is what to cut. It is common sense not to pay off your debts by taking out more debt, but our government continues to do so. Both parties are to blame. Even though most people demonize the Republicans, the Democrat-controlled Senate has not passed a budget since April of 2009. How can a government even hope to get close to reducing debt when it cannot even pass a budget? Republicans need to cut defense, but our Democrat president insists on increasing military intervention in foreign countries.

In 2006, President Obama said raising the debt ceiling “is a sign of leadership failure,” but most recently he has seemed to flip on this issue, stating that not raising the debt ceiling is “absurd” and “irresponsible.”

Alex Van Loo
Senior, forest/civil engineering

Manning tables in the quad
You should try a used car lot.

Wednesday, Jan. 16, around noon in the Memorial Union quad, I was stopped by an individual promoting a particular event. I say stopped in a literal sense, as he physically stood between myself and my desired path towards a delicious Bing’s toasted flat bread sandwich. Already starting off on the wrong foot, pal.

My friends can attest I am bad at disregarding people in the quad, and his mission seemed kind enough, so I pandered.

Then he said it.

“I can tell you’re a sports fan,” he said while acknowledging my San Diego Padres hat, “You know though, you sport guys usually only talk about things like how fast a fastball is, but if you come to our event, we will actually talk about deeper stuff.”

When someone insults me like that, I revoke the attention given. I went to autopilot, as it was the only defense he had as my teeth desperately gritted together to hold in a livid exclamation of, “You don’t know my life!”

Look, I love my Padres hat and team. As a CHS baseball coach, sometimes I am concerned with how fast a fastball is; but his assumption is indeed incredibly insulting.

I do not have a problem with groups tabling in the quad. I do however have a problem with making individuals physically uncomfortable and assumptions on appearance to make a sales pitch. Never mind that issues of gender equality, race, disability, and how to be a better coach of young men are internally and conversationally constant in my life with friends, family and co-workers, because I am a white man who wears a Padres hat.

All I’m looking for is respect of my time, space and who I might be under my Padres hat.

Jordan Schrader
Senior, sociology and turf management