This culture of casual sex on campuses was started to "defy traditional standards," according to an August 2008 Sex Roles magazine study. Maybe those traditional standards are right after all.

Make doctors more accessible to prevent the snowballing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, and there will be less need for the higher-paying careers.

There's no such thing as an honest politician. It's so common an idea that you might not even give it a second thought, but that doesn't mean that we ought to accept unethical behavior from our elected officials. Just the opposite: We should do our best to ensure that those people we elect are as ethical as possible.

Competition, in terms of another provider, would bring better prices and service. Utahns need another electricity provider and deserve a choice when it comes to this crucial service.

Mandatory attendance policies at the university level aren't uncommon from class to class. The argument is often made that students who attend class perform better than students who don't attend. Even if that were true, it doesn't justify required attendance. Students should be able to choose whether to attend class or not.

We should judge politicians by these criteria, not by whether we want to invite them over for Sunday dinner. A good leader need not be the perfect house guest, friend, neighbor or acquaintance, but rather a prudent policy maker and sensitive public servant.

Even with consideration of the cons, the Master Plan is still a worthy goal. It would have been nice if the U took extra time to engage the mayor, who didn't receive a draft copy of the plan until Aug. 27. In the future, the U should strive harder to be a good neighbor to those who live on its borders.

In the battle to define who is a greater fiscal conservative, Corroon wins by default simply by not having raised taxes. Renckert doesn't seem to offer much on that front, or for that matter any front at all.

Drivers don't need a law with a punishment to comprehend the fact that using a cell phone while driving is not safe or appropriate. The looming consequence of getting in a wreck while talking on a cell phone is much worse than a $100 ticket, and even that doesn't stop it from happening.

To truly honor the victims of 9/11, we need to do more than use them as a political bargaining chip. Any official, politician or candidate who uses fear to motivate citizens should be condemned and discredited. Politicizing such a tragedy is a dirty trick.