Opinion
 

Letters to the Editor

Broken system

To the editor:

I find it hard to believe that the Student Government Association general elections could turn out any worse than they did in 2001. I was wrong. The University's refusal to protect the student's right to fair and democratic elections is an old habit. The rules by which past programs were planned should be called "election suggestions" rather than election codes.

Reckless, obvious and divisive behavior is rewarded by the Department of Campus Activities by the fact that they refuse to do anything to combat it. I understand that students are lobbied "hand to hand" while currently in the voting process. I assume this is the logical progression of such a system and will soon move on to the complete absence of any election at all.

What can students (who care more about what is right than what is popular) do? Filing complaints is just the beginning of what needs to happen, but don't stop there. In the past, SGA has proven that students' right to a fair election does not matter. Money is why it matters. SGA has a lot of it -- more than $100,000 yearly at one time. If this organization refuses to abide by its own rules, then students deserve their money back. Get a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the school. If your student fees pay for the student government, then it must follow the rules. If they don't, student government shouldn't get a dime.

When I ran for president of SGA in 2001, the University delayed its own obligations to the point where I could not do anything. If you are serious about change, then you must be prepared to fight for your rights. Maybe, just maybe, you can make the best change ever -- making sure this doesn't happen again. I didn't, but I hope you can. 

Bill Kelly, UH alumnus class of 2002

Narrow vision

To the editor:

Paul Hensarling's Bush-bashing editorial, which masqueraded under the guise of criticizing President George W. Bush's space plan ("Bush's space plan simply political posturing," Opinion, March 12), omits several important items while making some dubious points.

Former Sen. John Glenn is a Democrat, and of course he will criticize Bush's plans regardless of what he proposes. Politics is inserted into every debate on all subject matters, and I'd be willing to state that if former President Clinton had proposed a similar initiative, Glenn and other Democrats would be wildly enthusiastic.

Hensarling's comment that putting a human on Mars will not benefit mankind as a whole, but that sending out probes to outer space would, is simply laughable. The United States has sent numerous probes, such as the Galileo and the Pioneer, to outer space and the distant planets, and currently has other similar missions planned. Human exploration has always been the driving force for further discoveries and increased knowledge. How can someone possibly say that sending out robots is more "awe-inspiring" than having a person land on another planetary body?

I am forever grateful that people with vision and foresight, like former President Kennedy, enabled people to live their dreams and achieve the seemingly impossible. However, if there were more people with Hensarling's limited imagination and utopian philosophy, our country wouldn't have been founded on the basis that it would have been too expensive or too risky.

Scott Mason, management senior
 

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the UH community and should focus on issues, not personalities. Letters must be typed and must include the author's name, telephone number and affiliation with the University. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, language and space. Letters may be delivered in person to Room 151, Communication; e-mailed to dclettrs@mail.uh.edu ; or faxed to (713) 743-5384.Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu