Students need to vote to influence state policies
Why students should vote:
“What’s the point?” is a common answer from students when asked, “Why aren’t you registered to vote?” Many students take the generally apathetic viewpoint on voting that they take on that two-point response paper they have to turn in after every week’s readings – that their contribution to the overall grade is so miniscule, it’s OK if they skip it. But unlike the response papers, students’ votes can make a direct impact in their everyday lives. In 2006, there were 22,000 new registered student voters who turned out the polls, which is especially impressive as this was a midterm election year. Correlating with this increase in student participation in the election process was an increase in funding for U of O, increased funding which could be used for lowering tuition rates (especially for out-of-staters), better pay to attract professors, and more funds for student organizations. At present, Oregon is one of the states that gives the least to its educational institutions, probably because law and policymakers don’t feel our schools are a priority. But with more students participating in the political system, we have the capability to make a big difference in our state’s policy. Voting is not just turning in a two-point response paper; it’s shaping your educational experience. So students, stop being lazy and go vote. And professors: the response papers … Not so awesome.
Robyn Singleton
International Studies, Class of 2009
New ASUO administration proves effective already
Dear Editor,
I can’t begin to explain how happy I am with the new student body president and the leadership in the administration at the head of the ASUO. President Sam Dotters-Katz and Vice President Johnny Delashaw have done so many great things for this campus in only a few days! From 600 free copies of The New York Times on stands in the EMU and Lillis to the 24 hour-a-day open doors of the Knight Library, it’s all very convenient and helpful. Further, they have already fulfilled a campaign promise to bring a text message campus-wide alert system to the University of Oregon. I can only imagine the improvements they will make in the coming year. Their actions are grabbing my interest as a student of the UO and as a member of the Eugene community. I can only hope that they will continue to light up this campus in ways that they have so far as student leaders.
Stu Lindquist
Sophomore, Accounting Major
Vote no on Measure 59 to protect Oregon’s education
Professor Bill Lunch, Chair of the Political Science department at the University, spoke on Sept. 18 at the League of Women Voters’ presentation on the Oregon measures. Lunch stated that in his opinion the most important of the measures in terms of fiscal impact is Measure 59, which is sponsored by Mr. Walker’s FreedomWorks organization and would allow high-income people in Oregon to write off all of their Oregon income taxes on their federal income tax returns. Lunch estimated that if Measure 59 passed, it would cost the State of Oregon more than $2 million a year in lost revenue. One of the areas that would be adversely impacted as a result is the funding of education
from K-University.
On Sept. 21 The Register-Guard published an article written by Brad Cain of the AP outlining the cost and benefits of Measure 59. The article quotes Walker of FreedomWorks as stating
“…whenever you cut taxes, people take the extra money and spend it to stimulate the economy.” If Walker had taken a basic economics course of the type I used to teach he would not have said this. To quote Mr. Sheketoff of the Oregon Center for Public Policy in Silverton, Ore., the majority of the benefit would go to those making more than $400,000 a year who would get a tax cut of nearly $6,000. Walker’s claim is based on what economists refer to as a multiplier effect, which assumes that a part of the extra or marginal income received as a result of his tax cut would be spent, and the person receiving this money would in turn spend part of this money and so on. This process multiplies the initial impact of the Measure 59 tax cut and, thereby, stimulates the economy.
The fallacy in Walker’s logic lies in who benefits from Measure 59 and what they do with this marginal or extra income. If the measure were revised so low-income people received the bulk of this extra money, the multiplier would greatly increase. In economic terms, the size of the multiplier is inversely related to size of the marginal propensity to save M.P.S. Therefore, since the rich are more able to save any marginal income than the poor, the multiplier would be much lower than Mr. Walker’s remarks would lead us to believe.
Mr. Walker and his group have tried this unsuccessfully twice before and the Oregon voters have shown good sense in turning it down. Lunch is, I think, correct in his statement that Measure 59 would reduce the money available for other needs such as education, and I hope I have been able to, from an economic point of view, explain why Mr. Walker’s statement is invalid. Please join me in voting no on Measure 59, and help save Oregon’s education and other services that are needed by
Oregon’s citizens.
G. Dennis Shine
Springfield, ORE.
[email protected]