Potential voter lost due to confusion
With all of the hustle and bustle of everyday college life, engagements that ate up time and lack of information, I regret to inform you that I did not vote.
The information on voting that my clueless brain required was not provided. I assure you my heart was in the right place. It’s just that I had no idea of what to do.
Being from out of state, I had no knowledge of what measures I needed to take to be able to vote. I do not know how the laws or the politics work around here. I wish I could have voted, but I didn’t. I didn’t know how.
Being the main source of information on campus, I expected The Reveille to assist fellow out-of-towners such as myself. I read opinionated thoughts and facts on the race but found no information about how I was supposed to vote. I needed some light on the situation, but I was left in the dark.
The next time another voting opportunity rolls around, I would greatly appreciate some information on how out-of-state students can vote. Any information on the state’s voting policies would be supremely useful.
If you could provide the skinny next time, I can assure you that I, and many other students, will be dashing for the polls on the next election date.
Glynn Wallace
Freshman — Mass Communication
Student fears effects of Stelly Plan
Tuesday night as I watched the election results, I had mixed feelings. I was thrilled to see the Republicans gain seats in the House, retake the Senate and even push our Sen. Mary Landrieu into a runoff. But I fear the impact of passing the Stelly Plan.
The Stelly Plan was raised as an issue in some campus groups and media publications, but I believe it flew under the radar of most of the general public. The governor and other Stelly supporters raised money encouraging voters to cast a “yes” vote. But for some reason, opponents did not organize and counter what the proponents were doing. Although individual lawmakers toured the state speaking against the plan, they failed to form an organized political resistance.
Our student government was very active in pushing for the Stelly Plan and even had a unanimous vote in the Student Senate supporting it. I don’t believe a unanimous vote necessarily is a positive sign but a lack of a true debate. The Student Senate presented one side of the plan by bringing in the plan’s author Vic Stelly but failed to bring those opposed to it. I am sure if they wanted a balanced debate they could have gotten someone to show up.
They supported the plan in the name of higher education. Higher education may slightly benefit from its passage, but at what price? I believe you will see an increase of the “bright flight” from Louisiana. Jobs will be harder to come by, and middle class families will suffer. It will benefit those who choose to live off the state government’s coffers because they now have a steady source of funding. But what good is a higher education if we can’t get a decent job in our state? Higher education funding is important but should not be done to the demise of economic development.
Hopefully before long, Louisiana citizens will elect state leaders who will see this state’s revenue problems lie in the waste and inefficiency of state bureaucracies, not in the tax structure.
But all is not lost in this election. With the election of a Republican Senate, the Democratic blockade of progress will end, and Bush’s plan will be given a fair chance. This should improve the national economy. Even the stock market went up because of the election of a Republican Congress. Investors know better times are coming.
Our Senate election in Louisiana greatly could affect national policy. We need to put a senator who will not block the efforts of our president, but who will aid his cause. So if you want a better America and better Louisiana, you should vote and do all you can to ensure Suzie Terrell is the next senator from Louisiana and Louisiana’s first Republican Senator.
Bryan Jeansonne
Senior — Political Science