Money is awesome, but it isn’t everything. What happened to parks? What happened to nickel arcades and basement shows and good conversation? What happened to art? What happened to us? Luckily, the tangible written word exists to buffer the languid experience of the real-world persona. I happen to write for it.

I’m tired of the papers and magazines telling America that everything sucks, and that you should cower in fear before the suckiness. Not everything in this world is frightening. It’s okay to take things lightly. It’s okay to laugh at the stupid circular squabble about healthcare currently raging hard on Capitol Hill. You’re no more likely to die from swine flu than you are from regular flu. You probably won’t be homeless and destitute in two years. Banks are still capable of holding onto your money.

My presence in student publication has been, and will continue to be, about presenting the facts from an alternative voice. I write for those who are too worried about offending people to voice their opinions about issues. When you’re privy to a discussion about healthcare and everyone is at each other’s throats, and you feel like laughing at the stupidity of the discourse, DO IT. It’s perfectly okay to think that uninformed viewpoints are to be scoffed at.

The world needs more bullshit-callers, not more passive voices. We live in a society where intelligent people succumb to reliance on this ancient parental crutch: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

We live in modern times. The Old Testament is history. Women vote now. Values and traditions have changed. The aforementioned cringe-worthy phrase holds very little water in these days of tax evasion and media spin. If something blows, speak up. If enough people got their mouths away from Michael Bay’s balls, perhaps studios wouldn’t pay him more money than you will make in your entire life, just to chip away at your childhood memories.

As little as I hate to advocate magazines that are read primarily in bathrooms and doctors’ offices, I would like to remind you that Reader’s Digest has a column called “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” Even the most boring minutes from the House floor can be swallowed with the aid of a few chuckles. I fully endorse this. I am dedicated to providing news to the students of PSU and beyond with the necessary spoonful of sugar.

In short: Be loud. Be excellent. Be accurate. Be persistent. Be optimistic. Be pessimistic. Be that opinionated asshole you hated in high school. It’s okay to have negative opinions. It’s called passion. Wake yours up.