editor:
I can sympathize with Mr. Sorensen’s view point of the “ideal parent.” I cannot count the number of times I have been at the grocery store behind a woman with four or five children who then needs to pay with food stamps — a government assistance program. I wonder every time what caused these women to have so many children that they could not possibly take care of them or even feed them for that matter. This leads me to Mr. Freeman’s opinion that “there is ample evidence of potential abuse when the state or society decides who is fit for reproduction.”

Firstly, I agree whole heartedly that our history is rife with abuse by even those with the best intentions but it would be foolish to believe that survival of the fittest has not been taking place all along or that the state has not been involved since the 1930’s. Survival of the fittest is not a measure of athletic ability or intelligence but instead a measure of a group’s ability to adapt to change. Thanks to the Great Depression of the 1930’s we have a government welfare program, which people have adapted to in order to live off of. This program provides more assistance to those with more children, and as such a great number of people choose to have more children to receive more assistance. They have proved themselves fit by adapting to their current situation. If you truly desire to change this situation, these programs need to be removed. If they are removed, or even reduced, people will yet again adapt.

I believe that the money spent on welfare would be put too much better use say … enriching our education system. We need to stop looking for a hand out and start offering a hand up.

Robert Lemmons 
junior, mechanical engineering

editor:
In reading the article about Jared Lee Loughner in today’s Evergreen, a couple of things disturbed me. The first, is the content of the article itself. Based on the title alone, one assumes that the piece will be about the treatment and aid of individuals suffering from mental disorders. Instead, it is more of a rant about the lack of strict gun laws in the United States. While I feel that this is an important topic, it is not the most important one in regards to the incident last January.

The second, is that the author places almost all of the blame for the shooting on Loughner’s mental illnesses or bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. While I can understand that he was not diagnosed or receiving treatment at the time of the shooting, that does not mean that his disorders were the main cause of his behaviors. There are millions of people all across the globe who suffer from disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and millions more who suffer from far worse things. You do not, though, see them purchasing guns and ammunition and shooting innocent people. It is not right to place mental disorders in this exclusively negative light, as so many people live day to day lives with these illnesses. 

Kara Layton
freshman, psychology