Published 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z”/>
<strong>Open letter to the student Republicans:</strong>
I begin by saying thank you for your presence at last Tuesday’s (April 29) press conference for Lt. Gov. Garamendi in the Free Speech Area. Airing your dissenting views is part of what makes a democracy work. I would, however, like to help you a bit in your expressions concerning the wording on two of the placards you had on display:
<strong>”Democrats and unions are killing our schools”</strong>
Not all Democrats are pro-union, not all union members are democrats, so how the two groups combined could possibly be killing our schools boggles the mind (this is, of course, ignoring the notion that the root causes for the problems in our schools are not so easily determined). Using blanket phrasing such as this is likened more to the style of a Rush Limbaugh or an Ann Coulter and does little to forward your cause in the eyes of rational people who love a healthy debate based on irrefutable facts and figures.
<strong>”Money for classrooms, not administrators”</strong>
I wholly agree. However, based on the sentiment provided in No. 1 above, this directive is contradictory. Administrators are not unionized. Research the “compact” Chancellor Reed made with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Speak to the whole board of trustees who voted to give campus presidents two very healthy raises in less than a two-year period. These actions were not the doings of either Democrats or unions or any combination thereof.
Keep up your vigil. Let your voices be heard, but I urge you to do so in a less divisive manner.
<em>Gail BeterbideTheater department</em>
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