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Show Wednesday, November 1, 2000 Page 4 Editorial- VIEWPOINT ote-But think. Every two years around this time people's minds are filled with messages asking them to perform a duty that is so easy yet seems so difficult for groups. The issue is simple: vote. Studies have shown that youth typically have the lowest voter turnout. Politicians are trying to change that. Politicians like Gov. Mike Leavitt, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and candidates Kathleen McConkie-Collinwood and Scott Howell have all come to Weber State University recently with the same thought: "18- to 24-year-olds could decide the outcome of this election." The first thing that needs to be asked of college students is to vote. Participate in the democratic process. But the second thing is to be an informed voter. Put just a little bit of effort into the democratic process that so many people fought for, and look into things. ' The United States of America is being bulled over with such a wave of complete apathy people don't even pay attention to elections that will ultimately have an impact on their lives. Important things such as Initiative A (English only) and flouridation in the water are hot topics in Utah. Do you think Hatch and Jim Hansen have been in Washington too long, or do they still represent your values? These are things an informed voter should know. On the national scale, issues such as the death penalty, abortion and social security are being discussed. In Sunday's "Salt Lake Tribune," it was said this election could be only the third time in history when the eventual president could lose the popular vote. Lord knows the Supreme Court is watching closely. It is said that because several justices are nearing retirement, up to four new justices could be chosen by the new president. Who would you rather decide issues on the First Amendment? Gore? Bush? Neither? According to data gathered from www.envirocitizen.org, 71 percent of young people consider voting an effective means of change. It's easy to be ignorant and talk about your lack of time to study the issues. That time could be spent surfing the 'net for the biggest watermelon ever grown in the East, right? Knowledge of issues helps people choose a good candidate or decide who they feel would represent them the best. It also impresses relatives at those family gatherings. (They might even drop their green Jello salad and stand like a deer in headlights because of your knowledge.) Knowledge is power. Who do you want running your country? 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I The S.gnpc'. ;s a stt.:::- t p-c.icat'cn. written, edited and drafted by Weber State i university studerts t:.' .-- it re:;-. c : t' l'i. fund the printing of tfvs publication. j Opinions or posii ens v. t r -xv-essaniy endorsed by the university. Tne Sig'-pos: v.? cjn-es t ' the editor. Letters must include name, address, teiecnone "L.."Ke' . -.1 ;he Intel's signature. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Ine S.'.trpos: i; - .es ive t ea't letters lor leasons of space and hoei and a!so res-iives t ; ,L;t t :c p; nt arv letter Letters should not exceed SSO v."- - L:' -:i"r - tne ed?r'T c"ce in Si'? mrv1 to- The 5 .7 -;.v sr. V. ec ei State cm ei s t , . L jei L'tah S4--0S-L" 1 10. Attn: Lisa SPUTT SPUTTER SPUT SPVT-. A tax worthy enough to raise Warren Pettey Columnist With thedon't-raise-tuition-or-I-can't-afford-school rally fresh in my mind, it seems nearly sacrilege to support an increase in the price of anything the whole idea being, 'Hey, we don't have a lot of money. Give us a break!' But the currently suggested transportation tax is a practical exception. It is something we should all confirm on the November 7th ballot: an increase worthy of enthusiastic student endorsement. Nutshell-wise, the tax is designed to greatly expand public transportation (UTA). This means there'd be more UTA to go around. The idea is to increase bus service, enlarge the TRAX route, and install a high-speed commuter rail in all, to ease the daily, tearing stress of the commute. The tax itself is an increase of 14 of one cent (0.0025 cent) per dollar. Seventy five percent of the tax money is designated to directly help UTA increase and advance its system. The remaining twenty five percent will permit Salt Lake County to properly maintain the new 1-15. So what kind of impact will the increase have? If the transportation tax increase is imposed, you'll see only a minuscule change in your sales tax in fact, you'll be pressed to notice a difference. The problem of price increase is so small, it can probably be solved by the coins buried in your dormitory couch or ashtray. A practical WSU example: a stop by Arby's on Harrison for five roast cow sandwiches (with current price and tax) is about $6.32. If the transportation tax is OK'd. the price would raise to hold on to your seats an astronomical $ 6.34! Two copper coins. Hmm. Not pleasant, but not excruciatingly painful either. The benefits of the tax? Read on . . . That something needs to be done about public transport is not even a debatable issue. Only an ignoramus would fail to see that Utah needs a larger and modernized public transport system. Roads are crowded. I'd preach on it, but there's no need to stress the inordinately obvious. More utilized public transport is a solution to the current problem of crunch. 1 say 'utilized transport is an answer' because, of course, nothing is solved by driving empty buses. Getting people on the bus is directly up to the advertising of UTA to make mass transit attractive (and you can bet they'll do a good job). But making sure that the needed transport exists is up to us. That people actually use UTA's services is a matter of granite-solid fact. Take TRAX for instance. When the planning and subsequent construction of TRAX commenced, UTA estimated and planned for 14.000 daily riders. Critics cried that UTA was building an electrically powered monster that would seldom be used. The critics were very wrong. Current daily TRAX usage exceeds 19,000. Bus usage? Instead of me reciting more numbers, drop by the bus stop some time and watch how many people take advantage of UTA (any of these folks could have taken your parking place had they driven). I can think of a time when nearly thirty people had to stand in the bus isles because all the seats were occupied (nearly all were WSU students). The bus is well-used. UTA really does a great service for Utah. In all, it eliminates over 81,000 vehicles daily. As a current UTA ad reminds us, that's enough cars to fill a three lane freeway from Salt Lake City to Logan every twenty four hours! If the transportation tax is approved, estimates predict that the daily number of vehicles eliminated would be close to 250.000. Not bad. eh? So when you stand in a voting booth debating your cast, think how things might be if the tax is not supported by the majority. Yes, your Happy Meal might cost a penny or two less, but then again, are you saving any cash? Ponder it as you sit with hundreds of thousands in your car gallantly idling gas away on the freeway. What will be the price of gas ten years from now? And before you brush it off, thinking that things can only get better, digest this: within the next ten years, traffic is projected to grow over fifty percent. Twenty years from now it will entirely double. That is both far and a cry from better. Accept reality and vote for the transportation tax. It is a levelheaded solution to a problem that will be with us as long as people live along the Wasatch Front. Conceivably, that's going to be for quite a while. ioday in History ! at the Biair-Lee I :"5t) Shoe . i.tiision in Wa:. ..in is . .other--- illation a Ham' S on. D.C.. a police-:v wounded and during an assas-ipt on President rii'rnan bv two radical Pue nr. Rican n, ' iiscs. 195j t..S. deto, .-: Heil Bomb As -art of v . ..ration ivy nucu .r prog; ;,e Uni'cd StaK succes ! detonmes "Mik ihe woi i - -t hvdp.i-n boiiV. in thet. i. Moll in ihe En;v. ok Provi: . . ..Unds in the Paciii.: Marshal: nds. 1993 The New European L'ni The Maastricht ': rt-a comes into effect, form.-'.i.'y tablishing the European l : .i. The treaty was drafted in I9: by delegates from the Kurev'-Community mect, : Maastricht in the Nellim im and signed in 1992. ...n ! V i |