I get all preachy, so listen up my brethren!
On Nov. 5, you will get to do the one thing that all of the flag-waving patriotism should have inspired you to do: vote. I know we all lead busy lives and I'm sure you have better things to do with your Tuesday, but if you care about any of the things you bitch and moan about, you will find a polling office.
I know Florida simul I'm man enough to admit I made a mistake.
I was wrong. I know I prostituted myself last summer. But you know how it is when the money tree fails to bloom and you like doing things… like eating. Which is why, in my desperation for employment last summer, I took a job collecting signatures for a gaming initiative.
I told people that by signing they were helping K-8 reading programs, prescription drug plans, firefighters and, most importantly, me!
Sure it would put slot machines in dog and horse tracks, but that was OK since the people going there were going to gamble anyway. Did I mention it paid $2.50 per signature?
I quit after one day. Don't get me wrong, it was a very lucrative job, so it wasn't as if I had trouble drumming up support. I just ran into a moral dilemma. Here I was campaigning for an initiative that I didn't know much about, just because I needed the money. Every time someone turned their nose up at me, I took it more as a lost opportunity to make money than a lost vote for my cause. And after talking to a few trusted native Arizonan friends, I turned in my clipboard and started looking for a new job.
Though I may have inadvertently gotten Proposition 201 on the ballot, I'll be voting against it on Election Day.
This column isn't about which gaming initiative is the right choice (but while I'm at it, vote Prop 202). This is about the importance of education when it comes to voting.
This isn't an ASASU election…this is something that really matters. These are issues that will affect your everyday life. At the very least your ears should perk up when you hear about them.
Did you know that Maricopa County is considering a smoking ban similar to the one initiated in Tempe last May? What do you think about that? What does your councilperson think? Whether you're a smoker who wants to enjoy a cigarette after your meal or a non-smoker concerned about your lungs, you should start paying attention to these things.
Governor Hull plans to cut $409 million from universities and programs that assist children. $409 MILLION! That means fewer scholarship opportunities, fewer qualified instructors and forget about classroom improvement. I know how many of you were hopping mad over the tuition increase for this year, but who's to say that won't happen next year, too?
Gov. Hull is out Nov. 5. You get to decide who takes her place. What does Janet Napolitano plan to do about university funding? How about Matt Salmon?
It's very important that you vote next Tuesday, but it's even more important that you walk into the voting booth knowing what the different candidates stand for and what the different propositions will do.
Anything less than that would be a mistake.
Mark Broeske is an English education junior. Reach him at mark.broeske@asu.edu.
