Editor’s Note
Every day is Tax Day for the ASUC
By Alisa Farenzena
From the April 2008 Print Edition
It’s April, so two of the most miserable times of the year are upon us — Tax Day and the annual election to select executive officers and senators to the Associated Students of the University of California. The two events are not dissimilar, as most people involved with the ASUC get their kicks by raising student fees, which are essentially taxes that they force you as a Cal student to pay so they can redistribute your ‘wealth’ to every multicultural, environmental, or ASUC-run organization they can think of.
This year’s outlandish fee is the SUPERB Entertainment Fee. The Patriot, of course, endorses a ‘no’ vote on this grab for your money. Justin Azadivar explains why on Page 15. As far as the executive offices — see Page 12 — are concerned, we’ve done our best to endorse the candidates who will do the least taxing and spending, and the least meddling in off-campus political affairs. Still, with these folks, it’s impossible to know when they are going to support the next foolish thing the city of Berkeley does that jeopardizes federal and state funding of our university. In conducting our ASUC candidate interviews, we were most heartened by the comments of SQUELCH! Party joke candidate Joe Rothberg, who said, “We don’t want the city f__ing our sh__ up.”
The only ASUC candidate we enthusiastically endorse is Berkeley College Republicans candidate for ASUC Senate Tommy Owens, a longtime BCR member, Patriot staffer, and friend. See Page 14 for Christopher Page’s interview of him. Even running for ASUC Senate hasn’t slowed Tommy down; see Page 16 for his latest article, which explains the real costs of the ridiculous protests that have been going on in Berkeley. On Page 8, Roshanne Katouzian explains how one of these protests actually ended, no thanks to the university.
If you’ve had enough Berkeley, turn to Page 20 to check out Justin La Grange’s irreverent piece on why gays should be Republicans. If you’re not offended by that, read my conservative argument for abortion on Page 21, and remember to write to letters@californiapatriot.org with all of your angry correspondence.
Regardless of any disagreement that may cause, we can all agree that taxes are rotten. That’s why we need to keep the candidates who want to raise student fees out of the ASUC. That way, they won’t have too much practice at taxation by the time they make it onto all of our local boards of supervisors.
Your compatriot,
Alisa Farenzena
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