OPINION
Pg.5
FALL SEMESTER November, 2006
THE VOICE
Democrats Take Over Congress In Elections
Kaity
Parson
On November 6th Ameri
cans sent a clear message when
their vote gave the Democratic
Party control of both the House
and the Senate. Corruption
and sex scandals surrounding
Republicans, frustration over the
war in Iraq and the President's
low approval rating all helped
to solidify the win for Demo
crats after a 12-year fall from
grace.
Americans were looking
for someone to take the coun
try in a different direction and
Democrats are promising to do
just that. Incoming Speaker of
the House, Nancy Pelosi, along
with Senate Democrats, has al
ready outlined a list of priorities
they intend to tackle early on to
include (but not limited to) the
following:
• A federal law on price
gauging for fuels such as
gasoline, more incentives for
the use of alternative fuels such
as ethanol, and a repeal of a
measure that gives tax breaks
to oil companies for expanding
their refineries and choosing to
drill in the US.
• Raising the minimum
wage from $5.15 to $7.25.
Although many states have their
own minimum wage standards,
the federal minimum wage has
remained at $5.15 for the past
10 years. Senator Ted Kennedy,
Chairman of the committee
on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions proposes that the
increase take place over a two-
year time span.
• Making education for
college students more afford
able by cutting interest rates on
student loans and increasing
the amount of Pell Grants from
$4,050 to $5,100. On the lines
of education. Sen. Kennedy
also wants to decrease the size
of classrooms and look into
the flaws of the No Child Left
Behind policy.
• Implementation of
recommendations by the 9/11
commission concerning national
security such as increased port
security and border entry and
exit screening. The democrats
1
however, have not given an
outline of how to pay for these
measures.
• Making healthcare
more affordable by changing
the Medicare drug benefit pro
gram negotiating with pharma
ceutical companies, and also
expanding health insurance
programs to cover other under
represented populations.
• More tax cuts for the
middle class and working fami
lies. Pelosi mentioned that one
way to do this was to revisit tax
cuts that were implemented on
the higher end and possibly in
creasing the "millionaires tax."
• Despite the fact that
they have not come up with a
comprehensive plan concern
ing the war in Iraq, Democrats
hope to change the course
of action and to implement a
phased withdrawal of troops.
Time will tell whether or
not democrats will be able to
follow through with many of the
measures, but President Bush
has pledged to put partisanship
behind and work with party
leaders to get things done for
the country.
Whatever the case, Ameri
cans are looking for change
and Democrats have their work
cut out for them, especially
if they intend to extend their
control of both houses for years
to come.
Asliley
Smith
The 2006 midterm elections
delivered a striking blow to the
Republican Party. With grow
ing uncertainty over the war in
Iraq, gas prices, the economy
and health care, voters made it
clear that the Democratic Party
is offering an attractive alterna
tive to the Bush administration.
However, wWi\e the s'vtuation
may \ook Weak for RepubVi-
cans, there is still a chance that
they can take back congress
and retain the presidency in
2008. The future of the Repub
lican Party will depend on key
changes they must make to their
strategy if they hope to win
back voters.
Republicans will have to
offer candidates in 2008 that
share popular sentiment to
wards the way the war in Iraq
has been handled by the Bush
administration. The public is
looking for an exit strategy.
Republicans have stuck by the
idea of "seeing it through"
since the beginning of the war,
and Americans are beginning
to develop a sour taste in their
mouth for dead soldiers. If Re
publicans hope to win in 2008,
candidates like John McCain
should be their frontrunners.
McCain has distanced himself
from the Bush Administration on
key issues such as detainee's
rights, and has publicly criti
cized the administration for mis
management in Iraq. Republi
cans will need to promote more
candidates who look towards
a future with a clear U.S. role
in Iraq, and a clear timeline for
troop withdrawal.
Republicans will also need
to get tough on oil companies.
Americans are tired of the up
and down prices of gasoline
and are ready to embrace a
new kind of fuel. About ten
years ago some of the major
motor vehicle companies pur
chased patent rights to plans
for water-powered engines.
If Republicans can get their
supporters in the automobile
industry to really look into
water-based clean burning
technologies, they could win the
hearts of American consumers
and environmentalists.
While the money for the
reconstruction in Iraq is prob
ably necessary, Americans
need to know that their govern
ment is still doing things in the
United States. \f Republicans
are to win in 2008, the present
administration and those mem
bers of the party st\\\ in office
need to reaWy sXep up domestic
improvement projects. Domestic
projects increase jobs and build
consumer confidence.
The race in 2008 is go
ing to be a close one, but if
Republicans don't make some
changes, they will see a repeat
of the 2006 midterms.
The clock is ticking and
Republicans have less than two
years to show the public that
they have turned over a new
leaf.
Area of Concern
“University Place Parking”
THE
VOICE
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Our area of concern for this issue is the parking at University Place
Apartments. Every night there are numerous vehciies parked in the
road, and on corners. Not only does this block the road, but it is
dangerous as well.
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