Subsidies of Birth Control Fight Continues

I've blogged about this issue far more than any other because I think it's indicative of the kind of politics that the Left plays: the politics of the mommy and daddy state that dolls out our allowance. Pomona students pay into the common activities fund to receive something they all can enjoy.

The description isn't entirely fair. After all, we pay taxes or tuition for essential services from which we all ought to receive some benefit. Whenever we are paying for the privileges of a few at the expense of the many, I must take issue.

Which, incidentally brings me to my next point: Dean of Students Miriam Feldblum is dead wrong to compare birth control to flu shots or vaccinations.

Though this issue has been smacked around in the comment section of this blog, it bear repeating: You don't need birth control.

For the rare Pomona student that needs birth control because it is doctor-prescribed for health reasons, I'd grudgingly be willing to make an exception. But the comparison with flu shots is really too much.

Flu shots and vaccinations, which I believe ought to be paid for by individuals who can decide whether or not to take the risk of going without, are more of a must-have for a community than birth control. If someone gets ill and continues to infect every other person, it becomes a community-wide issue. By contrast, the worst thing that can happen if someone goes without birth control is a pregnancy.

That's what makes Dean Feldblum's insinuation that her real concern is health care so jarring. This is the health care of a few paid for by the many.

"My priority is the health and wellness of the student community, so access to health care is certainly an important component of providing for the health and wellness of the student community," Feldblum said.

On a philosophical level, isn't it kind of messed up to use the money that we all pay into the common dish for the personal pleasures of others?

Many members of this community are not sexually active. Does it not seem unfair to use the money they and their parents pay to offset the costs of others' sexual explorations?

My guess for why Elspeth Hilton seems so gung-ho about this birth control subsidy is that she believes students are afraid to ask their parents for additional spending money to offset the cost of birth control. The solution, Hilton believes, is to have the school subsidize the cost. She's planning to give the faculty a proposal --without any real student or alumni input -- this January. Before then, I encourage everyone to let Dean of Students Miriam Feldblum know that subsidized birth control -- paid for by everyone -- is something we can do without.

If Hilton were a responsible elected leader, she would push for giving everyone a discount on the activities fund to be used at their own discretion. Students could go and use that money as they see fit. They could buy more alcohol, pay for their own birth control, or go out and do something entirely non-sexual and non-alcoholic like go and see a movie.

Let me anticipate a criticism: Oh, but the school pays for alcohol, which some students don't drink, isn't it unjust that we subsidize that cost?

I couldn't agree more. End the subsidies for the privileged few.

Fantasy Congress Creators Make New Game in Time for Presidential Elections

It's called Kingmaker and its part of a partnership between Andrew Lee and crew and Politico.com.

I had my problems with Fantasy Congress. Namely, it's more about the quantity of the legislation and co-sponsorship than the quality and that that kind of thinking encourages federal government's growth, which isn't something we want to encourage. Often the best kind of statesmanship defeats bad laws rather than passes them.

But still the main prize is intriguing so I may jump in. The grand prize, according to The Inland Daily Valley Bulletin, is two tickets to the annual White House Correspondents' press dinner.

So how does the game work?

In Kingmaker, participants must try to predict the percentage of votes that each candidate will receive in a given primary. Users receive additional points for the narrowness of their predictions.

Lee mentions at the end.

"If people care about politics as much as sports, then perhaps we'd have a better government."

I hate to be the one to break it to him, but in America, we have a Republic. No need for any "king makers." We don't want a bunch of people running around like Raiders fans who win or lose decide to burn the town down.