Students support The Collegian referendum

The Progressive Perspective
By CURTIS VINCENT / Special to The Collegian

Very soon we will have the opportunity to exercise democracy. We will choose how some of our money is spent.

Shall we permit a modest fee to be added to our tuition so our school paper is not tied to the student government?

We already pay enough. I know my tropical vacations and steak dinners are below the optimal level. Of course, the tuition at Fresno State is a bargain, relative to comparable schools in other states. Still, I need to save money.

I mean, at $1.50 per semester, I could buy myself a nice steak dinner in only 5 years or so. If the fees goes as high as $5, that would be a steak dinner in less than two years.

Why should I choose to forgo a steak dinner? Isn’t my self-gratification more important than a source of campus news not beholding to the student government? No, it is not.

We must maintain our skepticism toward those in government. In the former Soviet Union, the only sources of news were state funded.

It’s wrong to compare our student government to the Stalin regime, but some people will try to get away with whatever they can if no one is watching.

I don’t always read The Collegian, so why should I pay for something I don’t use?

Because, it’s important for the news to always be out there for others to use. That way, someone can keep an eye out, and that’s a good thing for me, too.

Still, this is only a school paper and a school government. It’s not as if our school president is going to lie to us about having sex with an intern, or about the necessity of waging a war.

Still, maybe someone will decide to spend school money on a bad idea. Maybe someone’s unqualified buddy will get an important contract or position. It’s been known to happen. Is there any harm in always trusting government? Yes, there is.

Without an independent voice on campus, we run the risk of permitting things to go unsupervised.

We will all vote according to our beliefs.

I will vote yes.

Remember you get what you pay for.