University Star

Each news headline across the country rings out that our interests are not being served in Washington.
We voted for Obama because we wanted to see change of any kind really. I think President Obama won because he was more of a rock star than an honest politician. Now we realize what the implications of the arising presidential budget could mean to our future as U.S. citizens, and we are angry.
He has his own prerogative, but I am not yet sure what it is. There is a chance he is a warm-hearted humanitarian busting his walnuts to save our country and thinks eliminating any power the dollar might have once had is a viable forfeit to the cause. There is a chance.
We really do not have much say in what goes on in Washington. However, we do have a say in the direction our campus takes. In the recent debates for ASG president, one objective rang clear. Covo, Loving and Thomas all want us to feel like we have more of a say in the legislation passed in the senate.
No doubt the proposals brought on by the school during the financial crisis that keeps bludgeoning us in the brains have raised more than a few eyebrows.
The new Bobcat statue in The Quad is a perfect example. After its construction, someone wrote in front of it, “Give us lower tuition, not statues.” The funny thing is we the students were the voting force behind the creation of this statue. Rather, it was those who voted that had the say. The rest of us are left with the piece of chalk in our hands voicing opposition on the concrete in front of the new structure.
I am apathetic to the statue. What I care about is the student who wrote that. I wonder if he or she voted against the legislation or knew it was even on the books. I agree with the candidates, we need more transparency and openness in ASG. However, it must be clear we have had the power of voice all along; we just have not used it. They have a Web site posting all of their meetings, and are required by law to display every word spoken in every meeting. What’s murky about that?
If you have a legitimate problem with the school, you have every power allocated to you to make waves and let your voice be heard. Otherwise, complaining about the school’s ways is like whining about watching “The Real Housewives of Orange County” when the remote control is in your hand.
We have more power than we think. It is not the job of the ASG president to implement change. He should implement the changes we want. Stand up and change the channel, if you want to.