These ideas of power which have been concentrated in D.C. are not new. Presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Jackson, Richard Nixon and others knew that the power to control laid in the hands of the executive which could only be done if the power ended its roads in Washington.

Do we really want to be dependent on a sole authority such as the federal government?

Let us first look at dependency. Peggy O’Mara wrote in her book “The Way Back Home” which is based around child dependency that “By assuming that we as parents know what is best for our children in regard to their inner experience, and that we must show them how and when to accomplish basic human developmental tasks, we teach them that outside standards are more important and more accurate indicators than signals from within themselves.”

This is exactly what the federal government has done to the states and its citizens at large. The federal government has fostered their way into our lives slowly from the New Deal to our current regulation found in Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill. They have made it so that the “outside standards” are more important than what we can do locally and inside our own states.

Our country did not begin with the thorns of Washington ripping open the sides of the states. It started with the power concentrated in the government that was the closest to the people: The states. By making the states dependent on the federal government, this has in turn made many citizens dependent on the federal government as well. This is not what is right, this is as far from the meaning of federalism as one could stray and even further from what America is meant to be.

James Madison said “The Constitution of the United States was created by the people of the United States composing the respective states, who alone had the right.” The states created the United States by choice, they have a choice or as Madison says a right to dissolve the United States as well. Is this what it might have to come to in the future?

We as Americans and citizens of our chosen states need to realize that the day is coming when we choose if this is the America we want to live in. Whether having a spoon shoved in our mouths and a simple boring life is the way we want or being given “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is our responsibility to become something that only America can give an individual.

Greatness rest in each of us, the politicians in power today know nothing of what is closest to our hearts and it will soon be our time to correct the wrongs of the past. First we must make a decision that is closest to each one of us and that is whether we want something more than what our federal government can give us?

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With the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculating the unemployment rate to be at 9.7 percent it has to make you think that jobs are not plentiful such as they have been in the past. Experts across the country have called the current economic times the “Great Recession” with little change in the near future. The market in which college students would be entering does not seem to lend itself to all the opportunities we enjoy in college.

The goofy slogan that Millersville uses, “Seize the Opportunity,” actually is not as estranged from the truth as it may seem. Opportunities exist on this campus that would be difficult and mind numbing in the real world; visiting a foreign country, traveling to play a sport, messing up on your work without a salary reduction are just a few.

Studying abroad in a country of your choice and experiencing all the academic world can grant you are within your grasp here. Next semester I will be studying in London and interning with a Member of Parliament. This is a dream come true for me and would not be possible after school. Only a certain number of costs exist outside of the standard tuition payment to allow for this. In the real world this would not be possible for someone fresh out of school.

Varsity sports have the opportunity to travel to cities and states across this country to compete for Millersville. Much of this traveling would amount to expenses that individuals need to save up for years before pursuing, yet it can happen in one semester in college.

Studying abroad and varsity sports are some of the bigger opportunities, but what about the smaller ones. The meeting of great friends, walking out of your dorm and into your best friend’s dorm just a few steps away, sun bathing without a care in the world, or simply staying up all night playing video games and forgetting about the paper that is due in two hours, are all parts of college that can be hard to find in the real world.

The biggest thing I feel that many of us forget is college is a time in our lives that can be amazing. The only person who can make it truly memorable is you. The number one way to do that is by doing what the cheesy slogan says and seizing the opportunity.

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Americans must understand that in our history the federal government has not always been as expansive and encompassing on our lives such as it is today. The start of our country found men who felt as though the states were the entities closest to the lives of the citizens in the country. Much of this feeling came from the grip for which England had upon the Colonies. It has only been since the Great Depression and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal that the federal government has shaped our daily lives so significantly. Today, as has been the same for the past century, we find ourselves with the question of do we want to relinquish more power to the federal government.

The United States Supreme Court recently granted certiorari and heard arguments regarding the second amendment case McDonald v. Chicago. The case poses the question of whether the second amendment should be binding upon the states through the incorporation of the fourteenth amendment due process clause.

We must first remember what the second amendment says, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” We must also remember that the citizens are being protected from the federal government in the Bill of Rights not the states. The question for which McDonald poses is at the core of states rights.

Throw out the argument of being for or against the possession of a handgun and look at the larger picture. If states lose the power to handle gun laws and act under their own power how much sooner will other rights be taken away from the states. It is not sensible to make Texas adhere to the same law as Connecticut does. It makes no sense from both an ideology perspective and economic perspective.

The federalist system we adhere to on a daily basis with the federal, state and local governments is crucial to our way of life. With the building of power in Washington we are slowly seeing this system erode away. State’s rights are being transplanted into the monster that is the federal government.

Every point in our day we live by the rule of government. Do we really want the people who are furthest away from us making the simplest of decisions in our daily lives? The individuals at the local and state level have a better feeling for what is best for us in our hometowns. Gun laws in each state vary and the people are the ones that need to make these decisions. The people will not be given this ability in their separate cities, counties and states if the federal government believes a uniform law suits the country best.

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In today’s world, with the recent signing of the Health Care Reform Bill by President Barack Hussein Obama Tuesday, “We the people” need to ask if we want to go to hell or have our elected officials drag us to hell?

Last November, the majority of Americans voted for “change” and “hope.” These are two words that hold broad meaning when describing anything, whether it be politics or a broken down tractor that you “changed” the oil in and “hope” that it still runs.

The American people voted for a man who pressed the bipartisanship issue. He vied for a new political scheme in Washington and getting rid of the old backroom practices that went on. The interesting aspect of this is that he implemented many “Chicago” style politics while trying to gain support for his Obama-care. Julia Duin of the “Washington Times” reports, “Mr. Obama issued an executive order affirming prohibitions in current law and in the health care legislation against taxpayer money going to abortions.”

The executive order was done in direct correlation with Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan who decided to switch his vote after Mr. Obama’s executive order.

Abortion must not be the main focus of this executive order; it must be that Mr. Obama needs to win Democrats over just to secure votes for his bill. We all understand that Washington is a town created on the idea of “you scratch my back I will scratch yours.” Is this not the type of politics that President Obama talked of stopping in Washington?

The sad thing is that Americans seem to feel as though their voices are not being heard, which has brought the president’s approval rating down to 36 percent according to Rasmussen Reports. MSNBC’s most recent poll, which is still being voted on has 67 percent of Americans “angry” with the legislation and only 25 percent excited about the legislation.

Rep. John Boehner from Ohio was quoted saying, “This is a somber day for the American people. By signing this bill, President Obama is abandoning our founding principle that government governs best when it governs closest to the people. Americans have never felt more disconnected from their government than they do today.”

The approaching midterm elections can be the closest precursor to tell how the American people as a whole feel about the legislation. After the shocking election of Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts, Americans can only do two things right now: “hope” that “change” will make its way to Capitol Hill.

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Especially as I begin to see the end of my undergraduate career coming to an end, I realize just how important the break is to our sanity and aspirations for the rest of the academic year.

I have the opportunity to go on a real spring break this year, which makes me lucky. Though my little brother has gone on four, and he does not even go to college, and that is a disgusting fact.

Spring break is a retreat from our chaotic lives which college immerses us in. The everyday of classes, meetings, busywork, papers, and exams can become too much for students to bear. Do not forget about the organizations and extracurriculars many of us are tied in with. The constant influx of tasks, which consumes our lives makes spring break all that much more exciting.

But it is great to know that soon we will be free for an entire week of this cruel workload forced upon us. The opportunity to go to Florida, Cancun, and the Caribbean is so close you can see it with every setting of the sun and feel it with every breeze of the wind.

Before you actually set out for your preferred destination during spring break, here are some sure fire ways to help expand on the fun ahead.

1. Spring Break Anthem: I am not making this one up. Shawn Amos of Getback.com lists three requirements for an original anthem: “A hard groove, inane lyrics, and lots of references to partying”

2. Trying new things: I DO NOT mean drugs in any way. What I am talking about is wind surfing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing and the other things, which we here in Pennsylvania never have the opportunity to do.

3. Get out and mingle: Spring break is a time to expand on the types of people you have met in your life. Especially if you go to another country, the multicultural experience is full of memories.

4. Wrestling Alligators: If you really feel adventurous go for it. No one will stop you, just do not tell mom.
The last one was a little different, but experience life a little this coming spring break. Skiing in Canada, partying in Cancun or checking out Atlantic City are all great ways of relaxing and being the stereotypical college student.
How I look at it, we only go through college once, well some of us, but it is always an experience to live a real Spring break.

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Classes titled “Rhetoric of the Color Line” in the English department, “Whose School is it, Anyway? The Struggle for Equity in American Schooling” in the Education department, and “The Politics of Race and Ethnicity” in the Government department all lend a hand in a type of study few colleges allow. African-American studies is a minor in which any student at Millersville is allowed to partake. The rich, multi-cultural perspective which seems at times non-existent in other disciplines allows students to grasp a piece of history which is silenced in many schools across the nation.

The writings of Frederick Douglass, Richard Wright, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington are only a few examples of those who have been tapped in at limited expense on college universities. The opportunity for students to explore such study exists here at Millersville.

There must be a realization of the lack of diverse history in the American education. Furthering individual intelligence is pivotal for education to succeed. The first steps are centered around history and politics of the past and a great example of this are the debates which took place in the House and Senate before the Civil War, which were some of the most magnificent ever logged. But little is known of these debates because of the lack of education.

We must remember that our country is as diverse and changing as it has ever been. The educational community has taken small baby-steps in helping the multi-cultural aspect of America come into light. The opportunity for individuals to experience these people first hand through the education at Millersville is essential.

We must not forget that education is always continuing through the seasons of the school year, and with that the opportunity to experience a new cultural perspective that exists at Millersville.

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We are situated as a group here to converse in ways that others could only wish. This has been the case from the beginning. When Americans debated how the country would be formed that hot summer they embarked on a journey that no other group of individuals have ever conquered. Creating a country surrounded by opportunity is ambitious, daring, and downright crazy when these thoughts were first introduced. Is not crazy the idea America bound itself to?

The power created that summer has always rested in the hands of the people. We have the single greatest check on our government, the vote. We have the capability to tell our government what to do, not the other way around. The only branch that is isolated from this check to a degree is the Judiciary. For the most part the legislators and executive must cater to us. The use of the vote in our democratic system is worth more blood, sweat and tears than any other country can imagine. But we must realize as a nation first the strength that it holds.

Governmental systems in China, Russia, and Iran make attempts at limiting the power of the vote. Americans must realize that our freedoms spoil us in ways we tend to forget about during our everyday. Being spoiled does not suffice to action though. The action of a people when they speak with one single voice is a freedom unique to our system.

This conversation needs to be bent on the realistic understanding that government is out of control. Not just Washington but the entire federal system in place has a duty to uphold the Constitution.

Here is the crazy thing: We can bring it back under control. The idea of a vote to equalize the voices in the halls of Congress is the most dangerous aspect of any politician’s career. Remember, elected officials can always lose the next race. Let responsibility and truth overcome party lines.

The greatest defender of our freedoms is the voice in which we possess collectively. The only answer to a bad idea is to counter it with better ideas. In order for this to happen, Americans need to understand the power of the vote. When we finally educate ourselves to the point of truly owning Washington, which is possible, then this will be our country for good.

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A few weeks ago the president attended the House Republican Retreat down the road in Baltimore on an invitation for a question and answer period. The session saw a type of conversation, which the American public does not usually see. Republican members of Congress and the Executive lobbing ideas at each other was nearly breathtaking to watch. In a country so deeply divided by health care reform, wars on two fronts, and an economic recession, the people that work for us seem to be slowly screwing their heads on right.

Talk from both sides of the aisle is the only solution to any problem we might have. The retreat gave people an idea that bipartisanship could be possible even in our rugged political climate. This open conversation must continue in order for America to be the superior being it implies to be.

The sad thing is a week after the retreat, remarks from President Obama and House Minority Leader John Boehner seem to swallow any hope for this bipartisanship.

Bernie Becker of the New York Times reports the president made a remark such as “we’ll call them out when they say they want to work with us, and we extend a hand and get a fist in return.”

Boehner is quoted saying, “I know bipartisanship when I see it. And it’s not saying one thing and doing another.”

The constant flow of bickering does not produce legislation in an already tough system, which has been set up by our founders. Legislation is made tough in our system so the American people have the greatest possible proposition that our lawmakers can produce. The back and forth bantering does not help solve any problems, but merely create new ones.

The question “we the people” need answered is whether or not our elected representatives truly hold our needs in their hands. No matter if they are Democrat or Republican, are they willing to work together to solve our problems?

Most of us go to a job and do not necessarily like all the people we work with, but we get our job done. If we do not finish what we are paid to do we are usually fired. Why should that be different for anybody in Washington?

The men and women in Washington need to realize that the people do not want to be on the downside of our country’s story. “We the people” never want our story as a nation to come to an end and it is their job to make sure that never happens.

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Our university has recently been branded as one of the “Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10” by the financial magazine Kiplinger. Millersville joined five other Pennsylvania universities that made the list as well.

This is a privilege that the University should celebrate as a whole. Making the top 100 is a feat in itself with more than 450 schools being researched by the magazine. Millersville took the 98th spot for the in-state ranks and 80th for the out-state ranks. Joining schools such as University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia and many other prestigious schools is a nice pat on the back.

The troubling aspect from these results upon first glance is the graduation rate, which they have listed at 37 percent after four years. Researching this stat further, collegeportraits.com has Millersville listed at 37 percent after four years but 58 percent between four to five years.

The other colleges in Pennsylvania show a routinely higher four-year graduation rate. But our four to five year graduation rate is near the top and Millersville is at the top for graduating students as a whole. When it comes down to it, the graduation of MU students is the most important aspect of the university community.

Through our progress we must realize that we must not make our flaws transparent. We must try to build on this momentum as a university. Kiplinger also pointed out that we have an 81 percent freshman retention rate, which is one of the best in the state as well. All of these facts are nothing but positive, but we can always afford to do better.

Let us set goals as a community instead of an administration to excel through faster graduation while keeping the standard of rigorous course work alive. Let us “Seize the Opportunity” as a community and become the best the state has to offer.

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Dennis Haskins a.k.a Mr. Belding was in town for the current NACCA Convention being held at the Lancaster Host Hotel.

Speaking in front of a crowded Club De ’Ville, Haskins enlightened students while sharing that classic principal role we all know so well.

Throughout the show, Haskins told many life stories from his early years at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga up to his current appearance on “Men of a Certain Age.”

The show was centered around a question-and-answer hour by UAB member Andy Stine. Questions such as how he started his career, when he had his first big break, what college was like, how he came about obtaining his role on “Saved by the Bell,” and many others, made for a fun night.

The major theme was connecting the “dots” of life and staying on track no matter what challenges lie ahead.

He wanted to reach out to the students of Millersville.

“There aren’t any accidents along the road, so keep on traveling,” he said as he continued on with his story of how he got his first big break with “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

The questions turned to “Saved by the Bell,” and Haskins seemed to transcend the thought for which the show had grown so popular. “The show was about firsts, they were growing up the same way you were,” he said, talking about what it was like when Zach, A.C., Screech, and the others had to contend with becoming older.

He also talked about his favorite episodes “The Fabulous Belding Brothers,” which showed how he was there for the students and not his self interests. His least favorite episode was “Backstage Pass,” when he was forced to give Rachel a zero, which he later said was a point in the series where he was told to “shut up and do his job.”

Haskins was than asked about current events such as NBC’s problems with “The Tonight Show” feud between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. He was also asked about the Super Bowl, which he vied for neither team. The show winded down with a trivia contest and questions from the audience.

The forward looking principal that we are all used to knowing ended with us, the students having the ability to “turn the energy around” in our community and world.

He asks us to, “practice one random act of kindness” this week.

Before his exit, Haskins asked the crowd to yell their name all at once and then “remember how good it felt to say your name because you all are special.”

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