10 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008 CM NATHAN NYANJOM A DIFFERENT ANCLE Nathan Nyanjom is a senior biology major from Columbia, Md. E-MAIL NYANJOMOEMAIL.UNC.EDU Mom and Pop need your help everywhere I'll never forget the time when my friend and I set up a lem onade stand. Back when Power Rangers ruled the world and girls still had cooties, wc spent an entire week of the summer making signs for the event, busing cans of concentrate and repeatedly shaking hands to reassure ourselves that we would split all profits evenly. We were sure there'd be profits. Sure enough, the arrival and closing of the fateful Saturday saw our 2+-hour business only get two customers my mom and my friend’s —but we went to sleep that night with grins on our faces, dreaming of how we would each spend our dollar. My friend and I only wanted financial suc- AT-LARGE COLUMNIST cess for a day. For small businesses across America, however, steady financial profit is a necessity for their continued existence. As more and more Americans continue to buy their things from commercial giants. Mom and Pop stores everywhere continue to close their doors for good. It’s on us to make sure that the little guys stick around, which means not only buying from neighborhood stores but abstain ing from commercial alternatives. I know the arguments for choosing to shop at the Wal-Marts and Dick’s Sporting Goods of our country are legitimate the prod ucts are cheaper. The quality is the same, and everyone else is doing it While these points are valid, we must abstain from heeding ML' 1 iammer's advice as the com mercial alternatives are not legit enough to quit supporting our neighborhood loves. As the buying consumer, we dictate prices. It’s our fault that Schoolkids Records had to sell CDs at higher prices than Best Buy. Because the latter can sell a $lO CD to thousands, small record shops have to try and contend by completing their fewer transac tions at higher prices. Small grocers take heavier tolls on our wallets because for every one of our better-eating selves, dozens opt for the always-open Mecca that is Harris Teeter. My friends and I call it “the Teet," If everyone shopped at the small hometown alternative, would com mercial Goliaths still boast the same products at cheaper prices? The extra money you pay at your small town Mom and Pop store goes not only to the Battle Against Chain-Store Fund but tips for a true human experience. The owner of my hometown Create-a-Hobby made a point to ask how school was going every time I went in to buy a model train, and when my family went to El Azteca each Thursday night, our orders were automatically started as we walked into the door. While we can buy cheaper prod ucts from commercial alternatives, chances are we have to buy them from oilv-faced, easily distracted high-schoolers, and while we can learn their names from reading their name tags, they will never leant our names or know the answers to our questions. Customer service, indeed. While a world in which families turn to commercial companies for getting their lawn mowed and babies watched is unthinkable, the threat of a totally commercial one is becoming more and more real. We root for the Davidsons of the world when we don’t have to pay for it and lament the closures of small businesses only after they have passed on to Mom and Pop Heaven. In order to ensure that our chil dren can have the same small store memories that we do —of friendly local restaurants and awe-inspir ing hobby stores we have to be willing to put our wallets where our mouths are and say no to the big boys. Well make the world a better, more diverse place and ensure that any future lemonade entrepre neurs don’t have to buy their goods from Store USA. EDITORIAL CARTOON By Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner Connect the dots Chapel Hill-Pittsboro bus line worth the costs A fixed bus route running between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill might be put into motion after a recent online petition received wide support. Although the idea of public transit between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill has been talked about for years, it has never been acted on because of the large costs associated with cre ating anew bus line. However, the benefits of a Pittsboro-Chapel Hill connec tion would outweigh the costs. Because of Chapel Hill’s sky high living costs, many UNC employees and workers in other parts of the town com mute from nearby Pittsboro. The proposed bus line, which would run along U.S. 15-501, would give these commuters a Inflated importance Ethanol isn’t a permanent fix to energy problems William Lawson isn’t crazy about ethanol, and neither are we. Lawson, a Republican candidate in our own 4th Congressional District, is blam ing America’s ethanol policies for contributing to the rise in food costs, a concern he has made a key part of his campaign. There is a lot of truth to his statements. The federal government has enacted subsidies to encourage ethanol production and put tariffs in place to protect farm ers from imported ethanol. Asa result, many farmers are switching their crops over to com, which has likely helped contribute to a 25 percent rise in the world price of wheat. It also might have contributed to a 50 percent decline in the production of hops in America, leading to a shortage of beer. Not only does ethanol con tribute to higher food prices, but it also has damaging envi ronmental effects. Ethanol isn’t as energy- effi cient as alternative energy sources. A car that runs on EBS, The pink slip Firing radio host is OK; full investigation is overboard A s Don Imus showed us, it’s important for shock JL Xjjocks to be held account able for the things they say. The N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs wants the hosts and producer of the radio show “Bob and the Showgram" fired and called for an investigation into station owner Clear Channel Communications’ history of rab ble-rousing programming. The racially charged com ments of host Bob Dumas were tactless and inappropriate, and while it would certainly be acceptable for the station to fire him, an investigation by’ the Federal Communications Commission into the station's owner is a bit much. During the April 1 morning show, Dumas and co-host Mike Morse made some off-color jokes about an intern’s marriage to a Lumbee Indian. Dumas described American Indians as “lazy” while Morse Opinion cheaper, more efficient ride to work every day. The bus route would also be of aid to gradu ate students on a tight budget and could bring in revenue from people who decide to visit Chapel Hill via bus. True, overhead costs would be high, and the route would call for cooperation among Chatham County, Chapel Hill and the Triangle Transit Authority, whose buses would run the route. But between skyrocketing gas prices and increasingly difficult parking situations in Chapel Hill, we think that a public transit line would be heavily used and would soon become well worth it. In addition, it's possible that Pittsboro could receive some a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum, gets about 25 to 30 percent fewer miles per gallon than a car that runs on straight gasoline. That means that although one gallon of ethanol bums cleaner than one gallon of gas. signifi cantly more ethanol needs to be burned to get the same energy . This is especially problem atic considering that the pro cess used to create ethanol is extremely inefficient compared to the production processes of other energy sources, with some analyses estimating that it uses almost as much energy as it produces. Plus, ethanol is more likely to become contaminated with water and impurities, so it must be sent out from the plant via ground transportation as opposed to pipelines, which produces extra pollution. Also, a recent study found that the ripple effects of ethanol pro duction on the global agriculture market are such that one gallon of biofuel produces twice the carbon dioxide as one gallon of gasoline over a 30-vear period. asked, “After you guy’s get mar ried, are you going to have a tepee warming party?” Dumas followed up with the million-dollar question, whether the groom’s grandfather would stand on the side of the road with a “single tear’ an allusion to a 1970s public service announce ment against littering. This is not the first time Dumas has angered a par ticular group and faced public backlash. In 2003 he was called out for urging motorists to bully bicy clists on the road, and in 2004 he was again under fire for using the terms “ghetto” and “low class" to describe American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. We understand that radio hosts of such programs are sup posed to be entertaining and quirky and as such toe the line of acceptable behavior, but it’s a fine line between quirkiness and ignorance. federal funding for the bus line. The Department of Homeland Security gives grants to state and local government for measures taken to increase the security of a community. With Pittsboro only miles from the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, a bus line could qualify- for this funding as a means for evacuation. Even if the Pittsboro-Chapel Hill bus line never materializes, Pittsboro commuters should consider alternative ways of get ting to work, such as carpool ing with coworkers or riding a bicycle part of the way. With the environmental con ditions we see today, anything to keep extra vehicles off the high ways and prevent individuals from having to fill up their cars is a beneficial investment. Additionally, the process used to create ethanol is extremely water-intensive, with the aver age ethanol plant requiring 500 gallons of water per minute. Many plants near corn-growing areas are draining w-ater from already depleted aquifers. Not all of ethanol’s effects are negative, however. The production of ethanol can help spur economic development, especially in corn-producing regions that might be lagging behind the rest of the country economically. Also, ethanol does help reduce our dependency on oil imports at a time of increasing tension between the U.S. and major oil-exporting nations. It also is being used in much of the nation's fuel supply already as a replacement for a toxic additive to gasoline that helps to oxy-genate the fuel. Still, these small advantag es don’t change the fact that ethanol is highly unsustain able and inefficient. There is indeed a growing energy prob lem in America, but ethanol is not the solution. If anybody above Dumas should be taking blame, it’s the station management for keeping him around given his past slip-ups. Obviously past punishments didn’t teach him to think before he spoke. However, it is a little bit of a stretch to go so far as to link the comments to the company that owns the radio station. After all, it is the producers and directors who decide %vho goes on the air and who goes off. We’re not condemning the Commission of Indian Affairs for taking action, but it’s taking the measures to extreme propor tions. If a local news anchor says something offensive, nobody attacks the entire NBC corpora tion; he would be fired from the local affiliate channel. Dumas deserves whatever punishment the station gives him, and the station should be held accountable. But the buck stops there. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We always have the assumption that they re going into the draft until they say otherwise JONATHAN GIVONY, PRESIDENT OF DRAFTEXPRESS.COM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Feel strongly about something that has been printed? Post your own response to a letter, editorial or stoiy online. VISIT www.dailytarheelcom/feedback Vice president should be elected, not appointed TO THE EDITOR: I read in The Daily Tar Heel that Student Body President J.J. Raynor opposed a bill in Student Congress that would put the stu dent body vice president on the same ticket to be elected with the SBP (“Congress pulls elec tion bill," April 8). Currently the vice president is appointed by the president after a closed-door selection committee process. Raynor's reasoning was that she thought the current selection process is “strong" but changing it would cause political bargain ing behind the scenes. Speaking as a student govern ment veteran. I know that the cur rent selection process is undemo cratic, secretive and susceptible to the sort of politicking she worries the new bill would create. Most of the people on the selection committee are appoint ed officials. These meetings are closed door and very secretive. Technically the SBP isn't allowed to know- who applies, except for the committee’s nominees. I also know- that political bar gaining and smoke-filled back room deals among rivals, friends and campaign workers does go on. I’ve seen and heard it with my own eyes and ears. But if the vice president was elected on the ticket with the SBP, students would get to vote and know about the back-room deals before they cast their votes. We don’t need a year-long study to know the selection process is clearly flawed. 1 urge Raynor to rethink her position and work with Congress to give the students a greater voice and bring a little sunshine to an area of student government that really needs it Tykr Younts Former Speaker 89th Student Congress Closing of bus route is a bad choice and too abrupt TO THE EDITOR: (UNC) leases parking spots for the Bible Church off U.S. 15-501. This is the only park and ride lot servicing U.S. 15-501 between Durham and Chapel Hill. There are many students and employees who depend on this bus route for dependable trans portation to the University. We were just given notice on April 4 that the route and parking lot will be closed effective May 9. This does not give folks adequate time to find alternative parking and will result in more cars driv ing further in search of parking. route was never prop erly advertised to begin with, so many folks who would benefit from the service are not aware that it exists as an alternative. On Monday I met a lady from Durham who had just signed up for the lot because she had not known about it previously. Why would public safety continue to issue parking decals for a lot they are abandoning? This makes no sense, especially since the University invested a good deal of money installing an emergen cy phone system in the area. We are encouraged to reduce our carbon footprint by using pub lic transportation, and then deci sions like this are made that are inconsistent with that message. Jenny Simehock UNC Research Specialist SPEAK OUT WRITING GUIDELINES: ► Mease type: Handwritten letters will not be accepted. ► Sign and date: No more than two people should sign tetters. ► Students: Include your year, major and phone number. ► Faculty/staff: Include your department and phone number, ► Edit: The DTH edits for space, clarity, accuracy and vulgarity limit tetters to 250 worth. SUBMISSION: ► Drop-off: at our office at Suite 2409 in the Student Union. ► E-mail: to editdeskOunc.edu ► Send: to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hiß. N.C., 27515. HMTOrs NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Daily Tar Heel or its staff Editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel edito rial board The board consists of nine board members, the associate opinion editor, the opinion editor and the editor The 2007-08 editor decided not to vote on the board dhr Oailii ear Hrrl Coach was insensitive just two days after UNC loss TO THE EDITOR: Despite the fact that many of my classmates decided not to watch the NCAA Championship game last night, 1 chose to tune in. At the half, Greg Gumbel informed me that there would be a clip of TVler (Hansbrough) accepting his Naismith Player of the Year Award, followed by a live interview with Roy Williams. Roy’s interview really upset me. Roy came on TV wearing a dark blazer, with a Kansas Jayhawk pin peaking out from under the lapel. Instead of spending the time to talk about our team and our great season, he talked about Kansas. And how much he loved Kansas. I don’t know if Roy remembers the Final Four game on Saturday night, but Kansas killed us. We were not playing in the champi onship game that night because Kansas was. I get that Roy gave 15 years to that school and has fond memo ries. But I do not get him going on TV two days after a devastat ing loss and talking about how much he loves Kansas and how great they are. They don't have to like you Roy. You left. It Ls understandable: they loved you like we love you, and now you are somewhere else. Now you are at Carolina. Carolina is your home. We love you. We want you here. You are OUR coach. I still love Roy. I am intensely proud of the season our team had. 1 just hope that Roy and the whole country can put behind them the fact that he left Kansas for UNC. And 1 hope that Roy can finally fully embrace that he is a Tar Heel, guilt-free. Christina Cowin Graduate Student School of Law Bus route needs better permit policy and publicity TO THE EDITOR. I am writing to voice my strong disapproval for the cancellation of the BCX bus route. From its cre ation, I have always felt the BCX route was doomed due to its unre alistic permit restrictions and brief operating time. I am sad to hear that poor planning coupled with a failure of adaptation has ultimate ly led to the proposed cancellation of the BCX bus route. I am sure you have received a lot of complaints about inef fective advertising of the BCX route, which arc also well war ranted. Please do not take away a brilliant bus route because of poor advertising and unneces sary- permit restrictions. Instead, change the permit policy, increase awareness of the route, and I guarantee that the BCX bus w ould be full of happy Durham residents every day. Canceling this route will only further increase the overcrowd ed problems in all other CAP lots and continue to force many UNC employees and students to drive great distances out of their way just to find parking in order to come to this wonderful campus. Zach Lazar UNC Study Abroad (Ihr Hatty (Tor Hrrl Established 1893, 115 years ofeditorialfreedom ERIN ZUREICK EDITOR, 9624086 ZUREKKOEMAIL.UNC.EDU OFFKE HOURS MON . WED.. FRI. 1-2 P.M ADAM STORCK OPINION EDITOR. 962-0750 APSTORCKOUNC.EDU JONATHAN TUGMAN ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 TUGMANOUNC.EDU EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS JESSICA SCISM TED STRONG SARAH WHITWORTH KATHRYN ARCMZZONE SARAH LETRENT DUNCAN CARLTON ELYSE MCCOY GRAHAM ROWE DAVID GIANCASPRO