Regarding "Voting needs IQ prerequisite": intelligence prerequisites for elections are a scary prospect. As a student of history, I'm sure the author was aware of the nasty effect "literacy tests" and "vouchers of good character" had on potential [black] voters during the late 19th century.
Voting prerequisites disenfranchise the poor -- a topic that's no laughing matter -- especially after the 2000 election when many [blacks] and ex-cons weren't able to vote in certain parts of Florida.
The presence of Proposition 200 on this year's ballot makes the issue all the more relevant.
Every U.S. citizen, stupid or brilliant, deserves the right to cast [his or her] vote. It's obvious that our country is filled with stupid people. However, correcting this problem should begin at the source, which means serious education reform.
American citizens ought to be educated, well informed and concerned with their government. Removing the riff-raff from the political process will only further polarize the voter demographics.
--Taylor Spears
ASU student
Coming out came out great
Thank you for sharing JJ's story on his realities to come out of the closet [Oct. 6 issue of The State Press]. Congratulations to all the ASU students, faculty and staff who displayed the courage to come out in front of the ASU community.
Maybe someday we won't have a National Coming Out Day because no one will have to hide in any closets.
--Arin Lopez
ASU student
"On guard" Girard
[In response to Oct. 6 column] Characterizing Bush as a man who "thinks middle and lower class citizens were born to be used as cannon fodder" is Nicole Girard's first misrepresentation of Bush and the first point at which she exposes her disturbingly biased and unproven view.
She proceeds to label Bush as a "druggie draft-dodger-turned-war-president-cowboy." Now, I'm sorry, but when exactly did Bush do any form of drugs? Furthermore, I wasn't aware that joining the Air National Guard made someone a "draft dodger." ... Girard shows off her expert reporting skills on [al-Qaida] by claiming that we are allowing them to "freely" recruit terrorists in the hills of Afghanistan. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, our continued efforts to defeat al-Qaida have led to the capture or deaths of more than 2,000 members.
You have to appreciate, however, her creativity in describing the present administration as the "war and oil administration."
Sure, we haven't heard that one before.
To top it all off, Girard states that roughly 80 percent of the world's citizens say they favor Kerry over Bush. Personally, I would like to see how it is possible to conduct a poll of six billion people. Regardless, John Kerry isn't running for king of the world, but rather the position of United States president.
So I ask, does it really matter who the world wants our president to be? I sure don't think so. But unfortunately there are people out there like Nicole Girard, who care more about falsehoods than the truth and rely on those fabrications to make their political decisions. May God help us.
--Justin Scorza
ASU student
Residential Life a secondary concern
I'm so glad to see that the Undergraduate Student Government is working on such important issues as what residents are or are not allowed to post in their windows.
Actually, who cares? The rules are there; live by them and then move off campus.
When I lived on campus, the same rules existed. Granted, those rules were ill enforced, but I foresaw lawsuits as the ultimate consequence of Residential Life's enforcement incompetence.
I hope that someone does sue the school for their selective enforcement of rules; but why doesn't the USG try to do something more important, like lobby someone who has made a terrible decision not to cancel class on a day when, clearly, the only sensible action is to cancel class.
--Daniel R. Moody
economics senior