Like it or not, a university needs money to survive. Solid funding can only help students — it provides competitive salaries for quality professors, keeps classes available when we need them; and, most importantly, keeps us from paying extra tuition to make up the deficit from state funds. There’s nothing a public university needs more than friends in the state Legislature — friends who will fight hard to get necessary funding to the university.

Those friends have to be our local representatives. No matter how often students picket the steps of the Capitol, it is up to our local legislators to make those final decisions; we in Ames can only sit and wait.

The current legislators have let us down time and again, voting to cut millions from the regent universities — $215 million in all.

The Daily editorial board is voting in naked self-interest, but, frankly, we don’t want to pay more than we already are.

That’s why our choices for the Iowa Legislature are Tracy Runkel, District 10; Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, District 45; and Lisa Heddens, District 46. All three, by coincidence, are Democrats.

All three have voiced their commitment to proper funding for higher education. They’ve already promised to be friends of the university; let’s give them a chance to go to work for us.

On the national level, the Daily endorses Republican Charles “Chuck” Grassley for U.S. Senate. Grassley has served Iowa well for the past 30 years, aside from that whole Coralville rainforest debacle. As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, he has a great deal of power and has used that as a moderating force within the Republican party — in the last batch of tax cuts, he helped keep it to $350 billion rather than Bush’s proposed $750 billion, for example. And how can you not vote for someone who uses three lawn mowers?

Vote for incumbent Republican Tom Latham for the U.S. House of Representatives, if for no other reason than his ability to get oodles of money for local ventures, particularly CyRide.

Paul Fitzgerald has our support for sheriff. Fitzgerald has served admirably, increasing the state and national prestige of Story County law enforcement. He has shown particular interest in students as well, visiting with them at residence hall house meetings and on campus.

For auditor, it has become increasingly obvious that Jim Hutter is the only one worthy of any student’s vote. He has focused his campaign on voter education and outreach, which is a nice contrast to the recent and ongoing problems with the incumbent. There have been issues with student disenfranchisement for each of the last three years. Let’s make Hutter our auditor and cut that problem off at the source.