Thumbs up: Late-night LTD bus preserved
Late-night transportation is a critical service, especially for students living in the Stadium Park overflow lot of University Housing’s lower-than-adequate campus residence capacity. If the University cannot provide sufficient facilities to safely house students on campus, it should at the very least provide a safe way to get to the off-campus sites. Late-night bus service has provided that most of the year, thanks to support from the University administration and the ASUO president. It’s a good thing minor differences between students and bus drivers have, at least for now, been resolved and students in Eugene can enjoy a transportation service that is standard at other Pac-10 schools.
Thumbs down: Illinois treasurer buys SUV wth public funds
Alexi Giannoulias used funds from the state’s fledgling Bright Start college savings program, which allows parents to put money away and earn interest to send their children to college, to buy a $26,000 Ford Escape Hybrid. Giannoulias has defended his purchase, arguing that the vehicle is used exclusively by Bright Start employees to travel the state and promote the program, which already lost $85 million last year, and replaced an older, less-efficient vehicle. However, when pressed for details on the vehicle’s use, Giannoulias was unable to specifically say how, when or by whom the vehicle had been used since its purchase. In a time of great financial ruin, when the fund he was supervising has lost $85 million due to risky investments, the last thing Giannoulias ought to be doing is buying new cars with money that could be replacing the millions that were lost.
Thumbs up: Obama for lowering crack possession sentences
It takes 100 times more powdered cocaine than crack to receive the same harsh prison sentence. President Obama and Congress have recently signaled they seek to reduce this disparity. They should. These guidelines are a product of reactionary legislation passed during the beginning of the crack epidemic in the 1980s. Not only are they draconian, but they unfairly target black people, who are statistically more likely to use or sell crack than whites. Drug policy should focus on large-scale dealers and organized crime.
Thumbs down: Oregon passes law prohibiting cigarette-butt littering
The Oregon legislature’s passage of a law prohibiting the littering of cigarette butts seems like a good idea, but it has no real function. Littering is already against the law in Oregon, and passing a law specifically banning cigarette butts will accomplish nothing except wasting valuable legislative time and energy. Recently, Oregon politicians have revealed a penchant for stumping for public-interest bills with no intention except political grandstanding. Oregon is in the midst of a vicious economic crisis, and our state leaders should focus their efforts on alleviating the burden instead of passing bills that are poorly conceived distractions.
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