Boo to a nation full of Cardinal-haters. With the betting lines in Las Vegas lingering around seven points in the Steelers’ favor, and with millions of people doubting our hometown team’s chances against an experienced Pittsburgh squad, the Cardinals were dealt another blow before Sunday’s Super Bowl kicks off: President Barack Obama will be cheering against them. If Obama truly does have control over the entire concept of “hope,” things look bleak for Arizona. Where’s “change” when you need it?
Bravo to the $819 billion economic stimulus package that was passed Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill could give more than $1 billion in federal aid to Arizona schools and $587 million to update the state’s roads and bridges. While we’re not necessarily ecstatic about having to take help from the federal government — which still ultimately came from our pockets — we are excited about the money that will soon be pumped into our state’s ailing economy.
Boo to a certain sheriff of the Maricopa County variety who wanted to transport inmates on the light rail.
This particular sheriff claimed he was only doing this because his deputies didn’t have free parking at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, even though airport officials said the sheriff’s department has had free parking all along. Now the sheriff’s plan has been scrapped and the airport has given him four free parking spots, but we have a sneaking suspicion of an ulterior motive: Joe just can’t get enough of the spotlight.
Bravo to Sun Devil basketball — with the notable exception of the men’s basketball team’s home loss to Washington State last night. Even during a busy sports weekend, with the Cardinals playing in the Super Bowl and the FBR Open taking place in Scottsdale, ASU hoops have made enough noise to command our attention. The women’s team recovered from a 0-2 start in Pac-10 play with a winning streak that brought them to the upper half of the conference standings. The men’s team, meanwhile, has (mostly) continued its success, reaching No. 14 in the national rankings with a still-excellent 16-4 record. More importantly, both teams are poised to be dancing come March.
Boo to our financial future. All week, the majority of articles in this paper have contained the phrase “budget cuts” and discussed the dire consequences of said budget cuts. Sadly, that will not stop any time soon. In fact, it will only get worse — and we’re not just talking about this semester. As the ill effects of the cuts to the state university system begin to roll out, we are constantly reminded that this is only the first wave. The employee furloughs at ASU are bad, but they represent less than one-third of the cuts needed at the University for this fiscal year alone. Experts say the next fiscal year will likely be worse. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and community members have spent the week walking around with sad faces and drooping shoulders. At this point, we only hope the Cardinals will cheer everyone up for the weekend with a Super victory on Sunday.
