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Show Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012 Page 8 v &C) Free Speech Zone Opinions on this page (columns, letters unless otherwise identified are not from Utah Statesman staff, but from a wide variety of members of the campus community who have strong opinions, just like you do! This is an open forum. Want to write something? Contact: statesman@aggiemaiLusu.edu Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesnnan.com It's not too late to study candidates Today is election day. As a staff we debated writing a second politically themed "Our View" in a row, but as this day only comes once every four years, felt we couldn't focus on anything else. Like most fellow Utahns, several of us have discussed how it's difficult to feel motivated to vote when it's commonly assumed your vote won't count. Utah is far from a swing state and An Editorial Opinion aside from the general populace's already natural tendency to lean red, the Republican candidate this year is also a Mormon — the predominate local religion. Whether on the Republican, Democratic or independent side, it's hard to believe one ballot will make much of a difference. Maybe it won't, but it seems disrespectful to our rights to avoid putting our own voice into the nationwide conversation. Despite the fact that it's almost assured Utah will vote Romney, we can't forget the many other names on the ballot. Local legislation is more important than many realize — and possibly more applicable to our daily lives than the presidential election. On a large scale, the presidency obviously has more influence, but in our community governors, senators and House representatives are quite vital. Contrary to popular assumption, the Statesman office isn't 100 percent elephant. There are a few of us who err on the side of donkey. And it's a concern that a large number of voters might check down the list of Republicans without knowledge of their specific political stances. Did you know the Democratic candidate for governor is a USU alumnus and plans to uphold Utah's Constitution on issues of abortion and gay rights? These are two big issues for most conservatives. If a thorough background is unknown, a mere skip over this candidate because of that ominous (D) proceeding his name might prevent a voter from choosing who they actually side with on the issues. Who knows? You might even side with the unaffiliated Bill Barron who believes in a political revolution driven by humanity and morality. Consider yourself concerned if these names don't sound at all familiar to you, and please familiarize yourself with all the candidates before stepping into that poll booth today. The bottom line is you can't vote solely based off of political party if you really want local government to be run in a way that matches your personal beliefs. A bou tU S WOULDN'T YOU FEEL BE TTER IF YOUR SAFETY AND WELL-BEING WERE ENTRUSTED TO THE LOWEST BIDDER? Editor in Chief Steve Kent Copy Editor Eric Jungblut News Editor Allee Wilkinson News Senior Writer Tmera Bradley Our View Features Editor Natasha Bodily Features Senior Writer April Ashland Sports Editor Tavin Stucki ForumLetters Sports coverage needs diversity To the editor: As a frequent reader of your newspaper, who pays special attention to the sports section, I have noticed that some sports are vastly overrepresented in comparison to some others, which are never even mentioned. I realize that we are very proud of our football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer teams and as a fellow dedicated Aggie, they are just as important to me as they are to the next Aggie, but my loyalty also rests with the USU Equestrian Team. As a member of the Equestrian team I read every issue of your paper looking for an article covering our achievements and the dedication we have for working with the horses in order to best represent Utah State University across the country, but so far I wasn?t able to find a single one. I have been contemplating to bring this fact to your attention for quite some time, but so far I haven't done so. This year, however, I serve as the captain on the team and I feel that it is my responsibility to get the team the amount of public attention it deserves. Just this last weekend our team won one champion and two reserve champion titles and one Sports Senior Writer Curtis Lundstrom individual champion title, but our event wasn't even mentioned in the Statesman. I believe as an unbiased news source, sponsored by the University, it should be your mission to give every school-sponsored team the same amount of attention. Representing one shouldn't keep you from representing another. We would very much appreciate it, if you could adjust your reporting in order to do justice to more of your school's clubs and organizations and I would love to meet with one of your reporters to talk about what we do. Sandra Mueller Hit-and-run not OK on campus I remember the noise I made as I did an aerial cartwheel over the car's trunk. "Hurk," I said. My toes were still strapped into my bike pedals, so the bike came into the air with me after I hit the car's rear right wheel. I don't remember how I hit the ground, though I was conscious through all of it. It must have hurt a bit. I didn't have road rash, thanks to my gloves. The large headphones I was wearing had broken into three or four pieces. My index finger hurt like it was broken. The driver paused in the entrance to the Stadium parking lot — after a left turn which had cut me off as I barrelled down 800 East. She rolled her window down as I untangled myself from my bike and stood up. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I think so," I said, because I was standing up and I figured that was pretty good. "Are you sure?" she asked. No, I wasn't sure. I hadn't checked my body for major problems. After an accident, the endorphins and adrenaline flooding a victim's bloodstream can mask even major injuries. But because I was still in shock, I said, "I think so" )See HIT, Page 9 The topics candidates didn't focus on Election Day is upon us. After months of a long, bitter, hard-fought cam4 paign, we've nearly reached From the end. I urge everyone F the who hasn't voted yet to take aleft the opportunity to be a part of the democratic process. In the course of presidential campaigns, countless issues are discussed, and even with a strong mastery of these policies, no president is able meet all the challenges a nation faces, particularly in a four-year term. However, with all the discussion and iebate there are still three issues which I believe need to 3e addressed in the next four years. First, of all the issues facing the country, tax reform is 3ne of the most crucial that will need to be addressed egardless of who occupies the White House. Surprisingly, t is an issue both Democrats and Republicans view as an mminent need. With an economy recovering from reces;ion and an extremely high national debt, the problem of :axes remains one with opportunities for major improveilent. We currently have a disjointed system with a :omplex maze of loopholes and exceptions, resulting in pillions of dollars in fraud and abuse. A number of multi3illion dollar corporations pay no taxes due to exemptions and write-offs. Warren Buffet's secretary pays a higher tax -ate than her billionaire employer. Eliminating loopholes and simplifying the tax code would create revenue the :ountry desperately needs. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy must be allowed to expire, as they have cost the :ountry more than $2 trillion while only helping a small Mike McPhie eitA - ► See LEFT, Page 9 AColumn Divided Two students take two angles on one political issue The 2012 presidential election has focused on issues such From as the economy, jobs .41.• and national debt. It's the even touched on areas right like health care and, to an extent, education. We've heard a little about foreign policy and the military. 1 I would have liked to have heard more about energy and illegal immigration during the campaign. Obviously, energy has been talked about a little by Mitt Romney but hasn't really been touched by President Obama, aside from his line when he says he's got an "all-of-the-above" strategy. Illegal immigration is probably a topic Mitt Romney wanted to avoid, given he didn't want to scare off what few Hispanics might support him. Here's my take on those two issues. To fill up my 2007 Chevy Cobalt costs more than $40 at the pump. I think it's ridiculous, especially given the fact that gasoline was only about $2 a gallon when President Obama took office. I don't necessarily blame the President for the high gas prices, but I certainly don't think he's done anything to increase production here at home. On the energy front in general, the President did invest stimulus money in a lot of green energy companies like Solyndra, Bright Source, Abound Solar and more. The problem with his initiatives in those areas is that those companies listed and Casey Saxton ) *See RIGHT, Page 9 Photo Editor Delayne Locke Senior Photographer Curtis Ripplinger Web Editor Karlie Brand Editorial Staff: Steve Kent Allee Evensen Delayne Locke Tavin Stucki Eric Jungblut Natasha Bodily Karli Brand About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual — must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. corn for more info. Polls, submission box, calendars, news archives and more: www. utahstatesman .com |