Earlier this month, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman put out an advertisement where Bill Clinton, in a debate with Jerry Brown during the 1992 campaign for president, accused Brown of having a poor fiscal record as governor of California. Brown, who is attempting to hold the same position once again, came right back with an advertisement accusing Whitman of lying in that ad, claiming he not only did not raise taxes, he passed balanced budgets as well.

What, were you expecting a campaign focused on the issues?

The two mudslinging candidates will arrive on campus for a debate on Oct. 2. The debate will take place in the Satellite Student Union and be sponsored by, among others, The Fresno Bee and the Spanish-language channel Univision. Univision will be televising the debate.

It is our hope that, at least in this debate, the candidates decide to focus on the issues instead of trying to score political points.

One of the issues that Brown and Whitman are expected to address is illegal immigration, an important issue to Hispanics, a burgeoning sector of the California electorate. Univision, whose national news anchor is moderating the debate, is likely to ask more than a few questions on the topic as well.

But while immigration is a very important issue that we need straight answers on, there are other problems that, as governor, either candidate will have to solve.

While the United States’ unemployment rate is stuck around nine percent, California is worse with 12 percent unemployment and Fresno County is worse still with 15 percent unemployment. Both candidates must have legitimate plans for job creation, or at least plans that won’t interfere with job creation.

California also has a nearly $20 billion budget deficit and its legislature has once again failed to pass a new budget on time. The current government has dropped the ball on this issue””each candidate must address it candidly with realistic plans. This means making difficult decisions on many fronts. The candidates should be honest with their plans rather than promising lower taxes and entitlements for all.

That being said, state school systems like the University of California and California State University are struggling to meet basic funding requirements. While we realize that education cannot receive more state money while other public sectors are cutting back, there must be a better way to allocate state cash. Each candidate should explain what he or she plans to do to fix the state’s education system.

We also call on debate officials to open the debate to the public. The only people allowed to attend are partisans invited by party officials. This is not right. Fresno State students and residents of the city of Fresno should be allowed to attend. If Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman really want to speak to the people, they should call on the local debate organizing committee to do what they can to accommodate those who haven’t already decided on who they’re voting for.

What we want is actual debate. Brown, Whitman, leave your programmed party responses at the door. Give us the truth.