The Wichitan - Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls Texas

MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY | September, 29, 2004

VIEWPOINTS

Upcoming debates may Determine Election
Abigail Carter | Managing Editor

This Thursday, the candidates will take the stage for a series of televised Presidential debates which could decide the outcome of the upcoming election.
Before that happens, college students need to know where our current leader, President George W. Bush, and his up-and-coming challenger, John
F. Kerry, stand on key issues such as college tuition, education, and employment.
Straight from the virtual horses’ mouths, at georgewbush.com and johnkerry.com, the following are our candidates’ views and plans of action on a variety of topics.
Both Bush and Kerry want to work to make U.S. borders more secure. Also, with either candidate, gay couples will earn the right to join their lives in civil union, providing them the same rights as married couples. However, the similarities pretty much end there.
College Tuition
Tuition costs have increased by 35 percent in the past three years. According to the Congressional Budget Office, lenders pocket $12 billion per year in student payments meant to cover the 3.4 percent interest rate on loans.
Bush doesn’t feel this system needs to be altered; instead, he believes the government should put another $73 billion into more financial aid assistance, which would increase students’ already-exorbitant, post-graduation loan bills.
Kerry believes this system is bunk. He wants to lower the interest rate on student loans and eliminate the billion-dollar windfall.

Outsourcing
Currently, U.S. businesses are not required to pay taxes on the money they make overseas until that money is brought to the U.S. This encourages businesses to re-invest their money overseas to avoid U.S. taxes altogether.
Bush thinks this is all right, and wouldn’t change a thing.
Kerry believes this is stealing jobs from the people of our country. He would offer tax cuts to those businesses that will create jobs in the U.S., and invest money in the U.S. economy.
Bush passed the Jobs and Growth Act Tax Cuts (AKA Bush’s recent tax cuts for the wealthy) and continues to support it. Kerry understands that those tax cuts were for people who didn’t really need them. He wants to get rid of those wealthy tax breaks and implement cuts that will lessen taxes for 98 percent of our citizens and 99 percent of our businesses.
Also on Kerry’s agenda: increase minimum wage to $7 per hour and offer national service opportunities for youth. If a young person will serve America for two years working in a school, health care facility, or strengthening America’s security, that person will attend a guaranteed four years of college tuition-free.
U.S. Entry into Iraq
The Republicans have made quite a show of calling Kerry “wishy-washy” in reference to U.S. entry into Iraq, which Kerry initially supported. He believes the United Nations should have played a much more prominent leadership role in the Iraqi occupation. He does not support Bush’s total lack of respect for the wishes of the U.N.
Medical insurance availability and costs are fine the way they are, according to Bush. However, Kerry believes federal health care is a right, and would work to develop a system where every citizen would be provided with health care insurance.
A person can almost tell by looking at him that Dubya doesn’t like to follow rules. Just ask the other 190 countries in the United Nations. Or, better yet, take a look at our leader’s criminal record, which includes: theft, vandalism, a DUI, violations of security laws (reported by the Securities and Exchange Commission), rumored cocaine usage, years of alcoholism, and a missing year of Air National Guard service, of which the only paperwork available is a USAF (United States Air Force) dental exam record and some stuff from payroll.
During Vietnam, after completing his first tour-of-duty aboard a guided missile frigate, young Kerry wrote an eloquent letter to his superiors, requesting transfer to dangerous Swift Boat duty (small, fast boats that patrolled the waters around the Mekong Delta in Vietnam). Throughout that war, Kerry earned more stars and hearts than a box of Lucky Charms. Not really. But he did earn three purple hearts, a silver star, and a bronze star, was wounded in battle, and saved the life of a Green Beret.
Young President Bush filled out a form, checking a box next to text that read, “do not volunteer for overseas.”
The choice seems to be obvious. But don’t take my word for it. Go to their websites-be wary of re-directing pop-up ads-and find out for yourself

Modern-Day Stalkters want Special Someone
Jason Kimbro | Staff Reporter

Everybody knows the old myth that when one is single it is hard to find anybody who is willing to be with you, but once you do find that special someone, all of the others come out of the woodwork.
I am here to tell you that this is not a myth. This is something that is apparent in today’s society. Call it a vibe or call it aura, this is an actual phenomenon.
Case in point:
The day I met my girlfriend Ashley, we met a few friends, my brother and his wife and decided to enjoy a wondrous meal at On the Border. In the midst of the Tex-Mex cuisine, our waitress informs me that I have a phone call.
The person who called claimed to be a part of our party. She didn’t know my name, but she told the waitress to contact the blonde-haired guy with the black shirt in the back of the restaurant (I fit the description, though my hair isn’t exactly blonde).
We were not expecting anyone else to join our party so I declined the call. Next thing I know, this scraggly-looking femme fatale of the raunchiest sort comes to our table, hands me a napkin, and informs me that her friend wants me to have it.
I unfolded the napkin saw it contained two phone numbers and the words “Darla! Call me tonight!” I was flabbergasted for such a thing never happens to me. Ashley was fuming since someone was trying to hound in on what was going to be her territory.
My friends and family encouraged me to call this Darla person and ask who she was. Mistake #1: I call her on my cell phone. She answers and when I asked her how she knew me she refused to answer and told me to call her at 10 p.m.
The conversation ended. I pretty much denied calling her, just a little more subtly than I should have, and we continued with our meal.
Approximately an hour or two later, we leave the restaurant and head to our vehicles. To our surprise, and somewhat to mine and Ashley’s dismay, Darla and her friend were waiting outside for us in their car.
The girl calls me on my phone and asked when I was going to be alone. I told her probably not anytime soon. I insisted that she tell how she knew me. The mystery girl then goes into a story of how she talked to me several weeks before at MasterCuts whilst my hair was getting a trim.
I did get my hair cut at that particular boutique several weeks before, but I did not talk to anyone but the person cutting my hair, and this was in minimal fashion. This created another red flag in what was already a marked minefield of avoidance. Some call it stalking. She apparently called it love.
As the girls from a Clive Barker movie drove off, my wonderful sister-in-law, Brooke, decided to follow them. She eventually got them to pull over and questioned their creepy actions. The she-beast gave Brooke the same story of haircuts and locks of lust.
Throughout the evening, this female kept calling my phone. Eventually it turned into a rampant exchange of prank phone calls between the girls, Brooke and Ashley. All the while, through the “Guten-Tags” and vaginal references beginning with the letter “C,” I laughed my butt off, sitting back and enjoying the show.
So you see, me, Jason Alvie Kimbro, the nice guy who finishes last, experienced the old wive’s tale mentioned at the beginning of this column. It does happen. Even to the nice guys like me.
I may get an occasional flirt, but Ashley has nothing to worry about. I love her more than cheese, and for those of you who know me, that is a tremendous proclamation. As for the creepy girls with their natty friends, you never had a chance to begin with. I know a few guys in Olney and Newcastle who could help ya out, though. Skank is delicacy in my hometown!

Staff Editorial: Drop the Remote, Rock and Vote

During the ’60s and early ’70s, 18-year-old men were graduating high school and being drafted to go to Vietnam to fight, but they didn’t have the right to vote for the president who was sending them there.

People held sit-ins and protested to change the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. In 1971, Congress finally passed the 26^th amendment to change the law.

Over time, college-aged students have come to take this privilege for granted.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site, 23,915,000 U.S. citizens between 18 and 24 were eligible to vote in the last election. That’s about 13 percent of the population. Of those 18- to 24-year-olds, about half were registered to vote. Only 8,635,000 of those young people made it to the polls, 36.1 percent. Demographically, of all the age brackets, 18- to 24-year-olds had the lowest voting rate. In contrast, people aged 65 to 74 had the highest voting rate with 72 percent.

Young American’s voting habits are an embarrassment and a slap in the face to those who fought for the 26^th amendment.

“Being too busy” was the main reason people said they couldn’t get to the polls. Are 18- to 24-year-olds too busy playing video games to go out and vote? Is it too hard to take a few minutes out of your day to exercise your right to vote?

Let’s have the voice of college students heard this year. Mark Nov. 2 on your calendars and do what many have fought for the right to do. Vote.