PSST…We’re Screwed
The outcome of the ASUO elections this year is, really, quite unfortunate. While I’m not exactly surprised that Adrian did not make the run off, I am saddened and disappointed. This year’s Executive and E-board did everything in their power to assure that only ASUO insiders and cronies would turn up for the election. How else can one explain the overwhelming victory of Maddy’s hideous demon-baby, the PSST bloc? Did anyone else notice that the E-board did nothing to publicize the elections after the first day? The candidates were pretty annoying, but the E-board could have at least put up a banner accross 13th or something. Further, it’s quite ethically unsound for the Executive to first appoint the Elections Board, and then work on a campaign. ME doesn’t understand propriety, it seems.
Worse, they know the turnout in the General Election will be lower, and seem poised to do absolutely nothing about it (From the ODE story above):
Elections Publicity Coordinator Nathan Strauss said voter turnout for the general election, which begins Friday at 9 a.m. and ends Monday at 5 p.m., tends to be lower because many students don’t realize there is a second election, and because there are fewer candidates and less campaigning.
With an attitude like that, the general student body gets pretty screwed. In light of the choices before us, however, I would like to take this opportunity to make the official OC General Election Endorsement for 1) Ben and Diana for Executive, as they seem much more capable, honest, and willing to work with folks than Adam and Mena. 2) Anyone running against any of the PSST candidates in the general election or in the retake of the elections for seats 10, 12 and 14. There is hope yet, we’ve just got to make sure that PSST doesn’t have a pure majority on senate, otherwise the fee is going to go up to, I’d wager, well over $200 a term.
Speaking of the fee, I would like to offer a word of support to the ASUO Senate for deciding, rightly, to use part of this year’s over-realized fund to buy down next year’s fee. By taking $200,000 of the over-realized and buying down the fee, the Senate has taken at least one small step toward keeping fees from climbing. I fear that next year, we’ll have no such luck. Good work, ladies and gentlemen. It might only mean $5 to any individual student, but the principle is important.
You wiley felon you.
Rest assured that my reasons for not voting in the upcoming presidential election are much more defensible…
This election and administration managed to neatly package everything that sucks at the university. Or that’s nearly three years hindsight speaking. With (what I believe to be) a small minority deciding what asinine ideas to persue, who speaks, and who is silenced, it’s pretty easy to side with the apethetic. After all, if the majority of students are simply trying to get out of this hell hole in four years, how many serious people are going to care about who is screwing us over again.
Not that I support that mentality, but as long as these are people running the show and generally making asses of themselves while doing it, most people just aren’t going to care who is running. More so when these people running are more concerned about lobbying off-campus than actually doing something on campus. But, such as high-school governments, there seems to be too little to do on campus. I guess that’s what bar fights are for.
Until a group of serious people come along, and not just one or two with no support from these cronies, there isn’t much to else to expect.
Olly, I can see your point, but I think the lesser of two evils is always better. Your choice, though, I can’t make you do anything. Lucky you didn’t catch a case of the suck at the Modest Mouse show…I hear they got it so bad it’s contagious.
Gee Olly, I should have never taken you to that Modest Mouse concert. Those kiddies’ bad attitudes rubbed off on you! Vote damn it.
Also, Dude, let’s not forget…what possible good intentions could be behind holding the Executive debate at 7 PM on the second day of voting? Not that the debate ever attracts attention from anyone other than Bruce Miller, campus media hacks, and 12 other slack-jawed hangers-on — it’s the principle of it. By the time anybody read about the debate in the ODE the next day, voting was closed. Dimwitted scrumdouchery by any stretch of the imagination.
Fair enough, and I understand folks are under no obligation to care, but said same student body then wonders why fees are so high and other such things. Non-participation will sometimes harm you. Further, the point is that the absurdly low turnout is good for the overwhelming majority of the Suite Four kids…low turnout of a very self-selected sample ensures that only kids with flashy campaigns and who are insiders will win. My point is that the E-board has no incentive to actually try to improve turnout, because the Exec appoints them, and the Exec wants its cronies to win.
Good post. Couple of points: they did put a banner on the EMU, at least. And: How else can one explain the overwhelming victory of Maddy’s hideous demon-baby, the PSST bloc?
Well, people voted for them, Tim. The general student body only gets as “pretty screwed” as it allows itself to be. We are, let’s not forget, the student group with “apathy is a human right” written into our mission statement.
On which note, I’m abstaining in the Exec election. In the absence of any candidate I want to win, I’d prefer to see an absurdly low turnout.