I would like to offer an observation concerning student voting on campus.

A few of my friends and I noticed a very small number of students vote for the special election on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

In all honestly, this is typical. I think you’d agree that students don’t care to vote. Well, for those who chose not to vote, this one cost you.

You now pay 7 percent instead of 6 percent on anything taxed.

Looks like your favorite food costs more. Looks like books will cost more, thanks to this tax increase.

I am certain that if more students voted in this election, the new 7 percent local-option sales tax would not have been passed.

Students make up half of the population of Ames.

That basically means students can decide what happens in this town … IF STUDENTS VOTE!

I mean, we now will pay as much of a sales tax as a major city. We are not a major city, and we should not resort to raising money by just taxing us like a major city.

I refer to major cities as Omaha, Chicago or even Des Moines.

Here’s your chance to change how things are run — change the status quo. Vote Nov. 5, especially vote so you don’t pay more again. Learn from this mistake of poor voter turnout.

This time I specifically mean vote for Doug Gross.

Don’t let Gov. Tom Vilsack’s poor leadership get us another huge increase in tuition.

Students need to vote, to voice their opinions about this whole tuition thing.

If you don’t vote Nov. 5 to change the leadership in Iowa, then don’t complain about higher tuition.

Like I said, learn from this. Students can decide all of these elections if we vote. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

It’s not hard, you can request an absentee ballot, and the voting will come to you. Vote from home and send in your vote if you are too lazy to get dressed and go to the booth. I’ll personally give you a request form, just so you VOTE! I mean that word for word, and will honestly carry it through.

I urge you to think about this idea. I also don’t want to hear any allegations that I may not care about education. That would be false. I care a lot; we need to have better education. Taxing the whole town is not the answer to getting more money.

It boils down to a basic financial question, “What do I need, what do I want?” Say we could use a new middle school, but do we need a new one? But, you have to look at other things in the budget. Do we need ‘Project X’ that could wait or isn’t necessary?

Look at the big picture, then make adjustments. Taxing is NOT the answer to everything.

Michael Dale

Sophomore

LAS Open