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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1994)
EDITORIAL Alternative tickets enliven the ballot Paul Demean Wall* submitted hi* name as a Democratic can didate far governor in the May primary elections However. Wells is not s Democrat. He didn't expect to win the race against highly favored John Kitzhaber. In fad. he even told voters. “John Kitzhnber’s a candidate for governor. I am not." So why did he even bother running' Wells threw his name into the guWnatorial hat to protest the inequalities far ini by independent candidates soaking pub lic office. Although only a few careful voters actually took the time to rend the opinions of such an unfamiliar candidate. Wells' stand against the American political process needs to be recognized. Independent candidates like Wells shouldn't have to pretend to affiliate with major parties just to get their views acknowl edged. Thoy shouldn't be penalized by choosing not to he a Democrat or a Republican in Bend last month, independent gubernatorial t endidates were exi lud«d from a debate Only Kitirhabor and Denny Smith wen* allowed to participate. Excluding candidates from expressing their views at a public forum is an embarrassing step backward for a nation that's supposed to be based on democracy. Third-party candidates should lie encouraged to run for any public office. What harm can lie caused by ensuring the rep resentation of alternative views through independent candi dates? Candidates who stray from the worn-out Democratic and Republican arguments introduce fresh ideas and pressing issues to American voters. And regardless of whether they win or lose, their opinions can bring a new dimension to the issues at hand Sometimes a fresh voice is all that's needed to work past some of the nation's most difficult problems Ross Perot's candidacy in the 1892 presidential election is a familiar example of how independent candidates influence the election process Perot made |>oopla think Although he lost the election, many of his concerns fan anus the concerns of run ning males bill Clinton and George Bush. Perot forced Clin ton and Hush to put aside the rhetoric and face up to substan tive issues, the deficit in particular And Perot still has a following that continues to work on poiitiial problems. United We Stand America, the organization Perot founded, was the moat vocal opponent of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Many people disagree with Perot's motives, but at least he opens donate. And that's the first step in working to solve national problems. Third-party candidates like Perot and Wells overcome many obstacles [list to be in the running. They don't receive the back ing of a national party and must work harder to get their names recognized by voters. It seems absurd to punish them even more by excluding these candidates from debates or other can didate forums. Independent candidates should be considered assets to American politics. Don’t make them compromise their beliefs Just to win on election. Oregon Doily *»0 IK>I )tS9 tuG<’4 0*100* ***0} The OrwQOn a&tJr f nu*&ki»* pufcfcahed datfy Monday through f r«d*y during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the ftummei by the Oregon Ofl'fy Emerald Pubfaariing Co . trx. . at the Uorvererty o* Oregon, f ugene. Oregon The Emerald operate* tfxiepende^fty o< the Unmers»ty wn|ih office* at So»te 500 of the £»t> Mem oriel Unon and »* a member of the A**on>a*»d P»aa* The f mereW «* private properly ThouNewM removal or uae ot paper* te protacuabie CcMtOf-tn-Chtef: hary Soto Emerald Managing Lditor Editorial Editor Graphic* Editor Freelance Editor trv Depth Editor Oav«d Trxyn J»>« Harwood Pasiity Aiidwi Baum Ed Kko^«r>a»©»ni Newt Editor Sport* Editor Photo Editor Supplement* Editor Night Editor f tatx* .» M***' tt Cfwt* Met; St'fiVSiQt T?i*J4 No«« T ?t*ia Not) A**o«ctaie tditorm Nr*,s Stuff VQfi ( il'p. StiAto*'! i ■.*t> ‘ t v A. ' M.V ! S* ;v Cl* H*Qh& f (XJC9to&K-''A<tfn*Wtr**On *.« A' :v. <• C>,v Co'vi^bv f • **-•*,«**' At r> Paul V*n 5U*># Kd- Ac G#n«»f a! Mjinm,}*' Acrv*nfBmg Dh*cIcw a.i * ^ Production Manage* M Adv«rti»ing M.v ■; r • ,»« f Hr M »• h*-/-- vv-? , M,\ M-Cfkw« M* S.vah M-* ' !«?>• M4!'->.Mnrt! W^koS CtDHHMfHKf fv**,- Me* *V» ’ Ait • • 4 • D*«rW>utiori .a-’"-" Uplp. f '• **v ‘Aafcv> i , ft*;. »■ k'1 , • . &.:< Production Dr* .1 ♦<* rvud jow. j# f«c t>« N««r*foo*n ssu 346*37.1? QUESTION Box Q. l*Jould term-limit legislation apply to all incumbents ? S.C.. Buffalo Not to tlr\e permanent iJxiuTukent. I J\ J <»|Wi I «o£>*ry rur fr+*4ur>Ajt\jt no. onc mtvALi rvdAj /I TO fon Gu/OA/VCf — A ■ OPINION Resource fee plunders pockets Pai i Van Sk kit It may have happened some thin# like this You got home from work one sum mer afternoon, slammed the front door behind you and left your bag slumped against it You started poking through the day’s mail "A bill from the University!" you might have exclaimed, and with boundless delight, you tore open the envelope. Your joy fad ed when you found scanned below the words "Future Due Items" and supported by "Undergraduate Resident Tuition" a mystical 550 figure with a strangely ominous description next to it If your reaction was anything like mine, you ext (aimed ver bally, and with considerable volume. "What the hell is a "l et hnology Resource Fee'?" As it turns out. this nebulous description is supposedly vour key to the world of computing on campus. It brings you free act ess to the computer lab and thus the Internet and all of its dumnin The I MF Computer (jib already Imught us an entire room full of brand-new Macin tosh computers and intends to increase phone line a> cess by purchasing several now modems. A little quick math will reveal that this fee gives the University high is necessary, or whether paying tin* fee should be manda tory for all students. Before the fee, each student had the opportunity to use c am pus computers, with Internet ac c ess and E-mail for a tiny fee. And it was voluntary. You paid if you wanted to use the service; it wasn’t forced down your throat Let's face it. Even with free network access and shiny new computers with which to use it, not every student will want to use the University’s computer facilities. Suppose you were a student attending for only one or two terms? Is the computer use you might incur during those months worth the extra $100? To use the lab for two terms last year would have c ost you only $20 The planners of this fee seem to have been influenced by a dangerous and extremely perva sive problem affecting our cul ture. something 1 like to term Instant Gratification. That is. the uncontrollable compulsion to obtain what one desires as soon as one is able. ! o apply this term, substitute the phrase "The University" for the word "one," add "even if this means an excessive fee to be paid by all students" to the end and this term might start to sound familiar. When using this term to describe the efforts of the Uni versity planners, it should be con sidered that a request for increased access to technology isn't unreasonable But do we need it all right now, this year' As with all things potentially addictive, moderation is necus Buvi few I'er rtnas one next year. We can whine about not get ting any money from the state, and we can worry about whether wo can continue to compete technologically. On the other hand, the school could have put it up for vote. The tech nology pushers probably knew the student body wouldn't have had $850,000 sitting around, though. Still, there may yet be solutions. A smaller fee is a good start. ($15 or $25 is more reasonable) followed by voluntary payment (of course access would be linked with whether a student paid the fee) and utilization of a more moderate schedule for updating the campus computers could make a student-affordable plan possible. It’s not that I am against pro gression of technology, or even that I am afraid of it. I use, and have used the campus computer system. However, I do believe we should approach technology rationally and carefully. It is a thing to bo respected, particular ly when we don't know what future technologies will bring Macintosh's new Power PC chip has already rendered the EMU computer lab's brand-new Per formas obsolete. Remember when your ele mentary school bought rooms full of Apple 11s and Com modore 64s' Those same com puters are now collecting dust in the district storerooms because newer technology rendered them useless They are useless for exactly the same reason The University is pushing for so much money for the new computers that it's obvious that it couldn't wait to jump on tin' electronic bandwagon and is willing to risk thousands of do! t M
