Editor:
Rocky Anderson wrote a thoughtful column on August 21 urging university students to get involved in their communities because students “can make a difference.” One way that we can make a difference, he said, is by voicing our opinions because we have “insightful perspectives”.
Well, here is an insightful opinion from a university student in a Rocky-inspired attempt to make a difference: All you student elites, stop demanding money from taxpayers that is not rightfully yours.
I would kindly ask you to stop demanding that lawmakers place a higher priority on spending on the university than on other programs that are also losing money from budget cuts because of the economic slump. The money that the university receives from the state is vital to the life of the school, but students can no more demand that the state give them more money than children can demand that their mothers give them larger allowances.
Of course, the U can use the money for semi-important programs such as the social science departments, just as children can use their extra allowance on video games. Regardless of the importance of the intellectual stimulation that the taxpayers’ money might bring to a student, the recipients of that money must remember that it is a gift, a privilege that has been given to them. The gift is not something that students can demand that they get.
If students are worried about government money and the loss of it, they should ask Rocky Anderson why he has thrown away so much money by halting the construction of Legacy Highway.
Jennie Hadlock Junior, Business