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Opinion
 

Letters to the Editor

Obama not ready for White House

To the editor,

In his column °°Obama Ready For White House,°± (Monday, Opinion) Colin Ferguson gives his readers every reason to vote for the senator from Illinois. 

In posing the question, °°is America ready for a black president?°± Ferguson has ignored the real issue Obama°Øs election to president would pose: Is he ready for the job?

Regardless of race, the presidency isn°Øt a paper route, and being a junior senator hardly qualifies him for the job. 

The speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 is pretty much the only thing Obama has done during his brief political career. Being a good speaker may make for a good politician, but America needs a statesman, a man who will get things done, a man with principles and a plan, the latter of which the Democratic Party hasn°Øt had since Clinton was in office. 

Also, I fail to see what°Øs funny about Obama°Øs name or the nebulous values Ferguson is referring to in his last paragraph. Though both sides have seen scandal, since when did the party of Gerry Studds, Harry Reid and Bill Clinton actually stick up for any behavior that could be called morally valuable?

Ben Hill
communication senior

Late finals not safe for students

To the editor:

Having finals at 5 p.m. or later is ridiculous. It gets dark at approximately 5 p.m. in December, and the University is in a poor neighborhood. The parking lots lack a good monitoring system. Many of the emergency call boxes are out of order, and signs posted in the parking lots that say they may be monitored isn°Øt a deterrent for criminals looking to assault students. 

It is eerie walking across campus at night during the course of the semester. Not all students park in the same areas; some have to park in the economy lots that are a hike from our classrooms.

After a final, students are so worn out that their only thought is getting to their car and getting home. Many students don°Øt pay attention to their surroundings as they search for their car. 

Hire extra security to escort the students to their cars, purchase video cameras that monitor the parking lots and have the call boxes repaired.

With the simple steps listed above and a little bit of effort, this campus could be made safer. It is about deterring crime and prosecuting one when the perpetrator is known. I am aware that the solutions listed above will be costly, but with all the tuition this University garners, I think that this would be a good use for the spare cash.

Jillian Baginskie
psychology junior

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.