NEWS

Farabee Speaks to young Democrats Club
Amanda Carr | Copy Editor

“Your ideas count,” was the message State Representative David Farabee expressed to more than 30 people at a meeting of the University Democrats club where he spoke Tuesday about issues surrounding the up-coming election.
“If you pay taxes, your ideas count. The best way to make you ideas count is with your vote,” he said. “If everybody participates we can make this a place we’d more like to live in.”
Public service is a Farabee family tradition. Rep. Farabee has gone from Eagle Scout to legislator of the year for the state of Texas. His father, Ray, served in the Texas state senate from 1975 to 1988. His mother, Helen, served as president for the Mental Health Association of the United States. One of the issues he hopes to change is tuition deregulation.
“I understand the importance of Midwestern State University,” said Farabee, a 1989 MSU graduate. “I understand the importance of knowing you will be able to afford your college education from beginning to end.”
He also talked about dignity in political conversation, stressing the use of factually supported debate rather than resorting to sarcasm. He believes it’s important for extreme ideas to exist on both sides to insure a variety of ideas, but said an ideal government would “drift toward the middle.”
Farabee advised those in the audience who may be undecided on their political allegiance: “don’t let a political party tell you what to think. Stay active in the political process; don’t abandon the process because you don’t know what to think.”
Justice of the Peace Michael R. Little stepped in for State Senate candidate Paul Gibbs, speaking to the apprehension of some people to affiliate themselves with any political party, and the importance of participating in their local government as well as the national level.  Gibbs was unable to attend the event as announced because of a family emergency, but will reschedule for later this month.
The University Democrats is a new organization on campus, with this event marking their second meeting.
“It’s important to have a strong democrat club because most universities have a strong two-party presence on campus,” Graduate Student Scotty Edler said. “ MSU has been lacking a strong democratic party presence for at least the past two years.”
“Today went extremely well with the attendance we had,” said the club’s president and graduate student, Rob Little.
Some of the group’s future plans include setting up a booth to supply students with information about candidates, volunteering for local democratic candidates, a possible showing of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11”, and reminding people to vote trick-or-treat style, as Halloween is only two days before the presidential election.
“We want to educate and motivate students to be politically involved. It’s going to be hard given the political persuasion of the state we’re in,” Rob Little said. “I’m not going to apologize for being liberal. The more we inform voters about liberal values, the more misconceptions we can make right and the more support we will have.”
The next meeting of the University Democrats will be Oct. 14. For more information call 397-6216.