Rick's Writings
Below are some links to some things that I or other people have written. Feel free to take a look and let me know what you think. I will post a lot more stuff up here soon as I have time.

Articles mentioning me in The Collegian and other local papers

• USG should support state grant program
  This was published on Oct. 31, 2002 in response to recent USG events and the utter failure of the 33rd Congress to represent the students. Unfortunately as is standard Collegian practice, my letter was heavily censored.
  Please Click Here to read the letter as it was submitted (Items in red were cut form the published edition)
  
  
• Volunteering and guilt should not go together
  This was published March 18, 2002 in response to an opinion article by Adam Kapp printed March 15, 2002.
  
  
• Senator responds to Diversity Committee allegations
  This is a letter I wrote (published Feb. 7, 2002) in response to an Provost sets the record straight on recent comments to USGopinion column printed on Jan. 30, 2002 by Dr. Terrell Jones, Vice Provost for Educational Equity at PSU.
  
  
• One vote doesn't mean Senate is homophobic
  This letter was printed on Dec. 4th, 2001. I co-wrote it with Julia Graham, a fellow USG Senator. This was in response to a Collegian editorial opinion which stated "The homophobia harbored by senate is not representative of Penn State overall, and senators should be mindful of that." This is all in reference to the Senate not approving funds for pride week. One letter was printed in response on Dec. 5th, 2001.
  
  
• Lecture boycott ironic, ignores point of issue
  This letter was printed on Nov. 7, 2001. It was in response to a number of people going around campus and trying to chalk messages on the sidewalks telling people to boycott a speech by the Penn State Objectivist Club. There were a number of responses to my letter and to the speech in general:
  • Speech again diversity defends racist ideas
  • Diversity encourages racism in our society
  • Objectivist message could be clearer in ads
  
  
• Lobbying must include USG Senate committee
  This was a letter of mine printed in the Collegian on Nov. 1, 2001. It was in response to an editorial opinion of the Collegian printed on Oct. 31, 2001 which stated that my senate lobbying committee should not lobby the state for tuition assistance. One letter was printed in response to me on Nov. 2, 2001.
  
  
• Military strikes needed to win war on terrorism
  This was printed in the Collegian on Oct. 16, 2001. It is responding to an editorial titled Objectivist leader's view not backed up. This is all refering to a quote of mine in a Collegian article from the Oct. 10th Collegian.
  
  
• Club didn't try to sneak ad past business staff
  This was printed in the Collegian on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 in response to an op-ed by the business editor and an article discussing respone to the full page ad the Objectivist Club placed in the Collegian.
  One letter was written in response to my letter: PSU Objectivist Club ad advocates unjust killing
  (printed on Oct. 11, 2001 in the Collegian)
  
  
• US Must Do Everything to Eliminate Terrorism
  This was printed in the Collegian on Tuesday, Sept. 18. 2001 as a general response to the attacks on this country of September 11, 2001.
  
• Black Caucus hindering, not helping, their cause
  This was written and submitted to the Collegian on Tuesday, July 10, 2001. It was not in response to anything printed in general, rather it was just me finally getting around to expressing my thoughts on the recent debate on racisim on campus. No responses were printed.
  
  
• Health care is a privilege, not an entitlement for all
  This was written and submitted to the Collegian on Thursday, Jan 25, 2001 in response to No politicians are honest, but Clinton is not so bad which was printed on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001.
  The following letters were written and published in response to my published letter:
  • Economic status not sign of deserving health carePrinted 1/26/01
  • Health care system needs improvements, uniformityPrinted 1/26/01
  • Insensitive attitude toward health care troublesomePrinted 1/29/01
  • Government is responsible for quality of health carePrinted 1/29/01
  • Attacks against universal health care are not logicalPrinted 1/30/01
  
  Because of the obvious one-sided representation to this issue, I wrote a letter directly to the opinions editor.
  Susie Xu, the opinions editor,responded to my letterthe next day. I leave it up to all of you to judge the fairness and logic of her response.
  
  
• Democrats' attacks hindering GOP's efforts to be bipartisan
  This letter was written and submitted to the Collegian on Wednesday, Jan 17, 2001 as a general letter commenting on the Ashcroft situation. No specific responses were published in response.
  
  
• Rational Determination of Good and Evil
  This was written and submitted to the Collegian on October 26, 2000 in response to U.S. must choose between good, evil which was printed on October 25, 2000. My response was unfortunately not printed.
  
  
• Competitive nature makes United States wealthier
  My letter to the editor I wrote in response to a numer of opinion columns against capitalism. It was published on February 8, 2000. College career about more than increasing finances was the only letter written against my opinion. I wrote a response to this letter but it was unfortunately not published. My Unpublished Response
  
  
• Republicans Should Be Commended
  My letter to the editor I wrote in response to a letter printed in the October 19, 1999 edition of The Collegian(Penn State's Campus Newspaper). 'Republican' Actions Embarass Party is the letter that I am rebutting. The letter that I wrote deals with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  
  
• National Security for Sale
  I wrote this as a submittal to the Penn State College Republicans Newsletter for the Fall 1999 semester. It basically discusses US relations with China and the scandals involving nuclear secrets.
  
  

Back to Main