SDAIr; Nov. 2, 2010
Youth hold stake in election
College students voted
in huge numbers in 2008,
but today political ana
lysts are predicting the
voting numbers among
college-age citizens to be
way down.
While this election lacks
the flashy appeal of a
presidential election, it
still determines important
positions, especially in
Pennsylvania, where a
new governor and senator
will be elected.
These offices are more
likely to make an impact
on our lives anyway. Sena-
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Politicians need to reach across aisle
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By Michael Oplinger
Bath Ann
Eiser.
IT looked like any other
campaign yard sign. It was
blue and white and seemed
to endorse one
political candi
date for the ,
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upcoming elec
tion.
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Except the tli_iikaraiiis.. c
sign I passed
nearly every
day in the sum- MY OPINION
mer, read "Re
elect No One."
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The sign represents the anti
incumbent sentiment that
seemed to be swedping the
country leading up to today's
election.
, o,erage.
ions and the
People from both parties
expressed dissatisfaction with
the way things were going in
Washington. Democrats may
have felt that Obama and the
Democratic majority had not
done enough to enact the
"change" that was promised.
Conservatives may not have
approved of a united govern
ment that had the ability to pass
almost any legislation.
Whatever the reason, the urge
to kick incumbent representa
tives out of office seemed to pre
vail, regardless of party.
It was most evident in the pri
maries where Congressmen
chose not to run for reelection
or were defeated. We saw it here
in Pennsylvania when Arlen
Specter, the incumbent Senator
for both the Democratic and
Republican parties, was defeat
ed in the primary by challenger
Joe Sestak
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Polls suggest Congressional
change is needed. Last week
Rasmussen released a study
that found 12 percent of the
country thinks Congress is
doing a good or excellent job
while 61 percent rate its per
formance as poor.
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tors and representatives
are the lawmakers who
make changes.
As students it's easy to
feel removed from politics,
but many candidates have
discussed college afford
ability, including Penn
State because of its status
as a state-related univer
sity.
Every student has a
stake in this election.
The election affect Penn
State students because a
new governor will be
elected for the first time
in eight years, which
- •
- •
In a different poll. Rasmussen
found that 62 percent of voters
think the country would be bet
ter off if incumbents were
defeated in today's election.
But would simply changing
the faces in Washington lead to
a change in the way government
is run?
Would just having new repre
sentatives ease the frustration
much of America experiences
with the legislative system?
New doesn't always mean
improved
But it often seems that way.
The new candidate with a fresh
perspective seems like a much
better choice than the old
codger who has been in
Congress for years.
The new representative hasn't
been tainted by the political
game of Washington. The new
guy goes to Washington as an
idealist, hoping to change the
way things work.
But how long would it take
before the system gobbles up
the new representative, turning
him into another puppet for the
party mission'?
The new candidate would face
the daunting task of ignoring
corporate interests and the
influences of powerful lobbying
groups.
I understand it can be hard to
ignore these organizations,
which have a lot of money to
throw around money that can
help during a reelection cam
paign.
But reelection shouldn't be
the main focus. Congressmen
are elected to;epresent their
constituents' best interests.
Many politicians of both parties
seem to lose sight of that when
they reach D.C.
Being elected signifies a finite
term of public service, not a new
career. Term limits for
Congressmen are technically
unconstitutional. Only an
could have an impact on
the appropriations the
state grants the university
and therefore, impact
tuition.
This election also allows
voters their first chance to
provide feedback to the
government about what
has happened since 2008.
It's not too late to take
the time to research the
candidates and make an
informed vote today.
The analysts think col
lege students won't vote
this election.
Prove them wrong
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IMEMITZI
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amendment passed by Congress
could establish term limits, and
how many Congressmen are
going to ensure they only serve
a certain amount of time?
No one would vote to elimi
nate their own job, but politi
cians should recognize that we
expect them to serve us for a
certain amount of time and
then move on to another
endeavor.
Lawmakers must stop voting
simply by the letter next to their
name and vote based on the
potential implications for the
area they represent.
If reelection weren't a main
priority, many more politicians
may be willing to cross party
lines and compromise which
is not a dirty word despite the
prevailing attitude in today's
political sphere.
Maybe I'm being an idealist
for believing that there are can
didates strong enough to with
stand the influences of parties
and lobbyists. Maybe those
politicians only exist in fiction,
like Jimmy Stewart's character
in "Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington."
But I chose to believe in the
goodness of people, and that
certain people are able to over
come powerful financial tempta
tions to work for the good of the
population.
There have to be representa
tives out there who are doing
their jobs and there have to be
candidates who truly want to
work for the betterment of their
constituents.
So when considering voting
out an incumbent today, make
sure the new choice is actually
improved, not just new.
Michael Olinger is a senior majoring
in media studies and political science
and is The Daily Collegian's Tuesday
columnist. His e-mail is
mjoso7l@psu.edu.
Gift should honor PSU vets
I never knew Lt. Michael Murphy. How
could I? He had not been born when I grad
uated from Penn State in 1968. I served in
the United States Air Force for eight years
in the 19605, and as you might assume, I am
biased about matters concerning veterans.
I find it hard to imagine a more fitting
senior class gift for current Penn State stu
dents to consider. It is surely the "right thing
to do." A lasting memorial for Lt. Murphy, as
well as all Penn State veterans. He was an
honor student, Penn State alum, Navy Seal,
war hero and Medal of Honor recipient.
Though I never Michael Murphy, I would
like to believe we would have been friends.
Robert States
Class of 1968
Surprising to see polite fans
This weekend I had three friends from
Michigan visit and attend the game with me.
They proudly wore their Michigan blue and
maize (seriously. what is that?) and were
ready to defend their honor to angry beer
wielding Penn Staters.
However, they were met by friendly stu
dents and alumni asking them how they
were enjoying Happy Valley, and having a
nice time playing cornhole at a tailgate. To
quote these Michigan boys, "Why are people
being so nice to us? You guys hate us,
right?" So to the disappointment of my
testosterone-driven Michigan friends, we,
as a school, were extremely welcoming and
respectful. So thanks, Penn State, for show
ing my friends a good time... but come on,
according to my clock, it's 9:23 p.m. and
Michigan still sucks!
Elyse Burgher
senior-human development and family studies
Student behavior upsetting
I am a 1984 graduate of Penn State. My
family and I have been coming to games for
six years now. I have to say how upset I was
to hear the terrible remarks of some Penn
State students riding the CATA bus around
the university. Yes, it was a late game, but at
2 p.m. behavior of some was horrendous.
Using the F bomb when they saw kids on the
bus is inexcusable. To make sexual
remarks, and they were gross, was even
worse. My 10-year-old daughter was scared.
Shame on you, and you know who you are.
There were people trying to get on the bus
from Michigan and I was so embarrassed
with the words these students were slinging
at them a very poor representation of our
wonderful university. Two of the students
almost got into an altercation with some of
the adults on the bus. You the students rep
resent Penn State at all times. In my opin
ion, if you can't behave on a game weekend.
stay home.
Senior section should fill fast
As proud as I was of the football team's
effort on Saturday night against Michigan, I
was even more disappointed by the tardi
ness of the junior and senior student sec
tions. The two sections remained only par
tially full until the middle of the second quar
ter. I know that the team's performance has
n't been what we had all hoped for this year,
but you still have to do your part and show
up for the game on time.
Mil
It's not like it was a noon kickoff against
Youngstown State University. This was a
primetime match-up against one of our
biggest rivals. Maybe these two classes
have been spoiled by the team's success
that they have enjoyed as students. The stu
dent section did a great job of getting loud
during key parts of the game. It's a shame
that a few hundred lazy juniors and seniors
decided to take their time coming in from
their tailgates.
Strangers made for fun game
I just wanted to write to the two girls in
front of me, the guy who almost made me
live up to my promise to leave the game if
we ever tried a fake punt (which we did), the
guy who thought his hat got stolen by some
one in our row but eventually found it and
took it off anyway, and the other girls we
tossed up after touchdowns. Sorry for
throwing you up 10 times when we had only
had seven points.
It was fun meeting you all even though I
never got any names. Thank you for making
this weekend's game one of the most fun
I've ever went to in my four years at Penn
State.
Rally wasn't biased by party
Having attended Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert's - Rally To Restore Sanity
And/Or Fear" in Washington, D.C. on
Saturday, I believe that the message of the
rally should be shared with all Americans.
According to the media, on one side of the
political fence are socialist hippies; on the
other are racist religious freaks.
Everyone in-between is ignored because
rationally minded people simply don't make
good TV. Stewart reminded us that
Americans are the people we see and work
with everyday, and most of them are not
extremists, but people who just want to get
something done.
Yet, when it comes to politics, we're told
by the media that we can't accomplish any
thing because we're supposedly polarizing
ideological forces. The rally wasn't a plug to
vote Democrat; it was a plea to turn off the
TV and have faith in the reason of our fellow
citizens rather than belief in the skewed
vision of America that is fed to us. We all
have the right to love and to criticize our
country.
Marybeth McGinnis
freshman-division of undergraduate studies
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Lynn Ann Sklack
Class of 1984
Jim Young
Class of 2008
Ryan Price
senior-accounting