2 The Voice, For students, By Students | February 23, 2011
www.fsuvoice.com | send news tips to the editor; agarcial ©broncos.uncfsu.edu
The politics of trust
In any relationship, you have the
expectation of trusting the individu
al you are with. You expect to know
that they will support you, help you
and look out for your best interest.
At the most basic level, you expect
stability and continuity. You don’t
see or expect betrayal. Although at
times it just seems to go with the
territory. Yet the expectation should
be of the freedom of a relationship
and not the burden of it.
In politics, government or any
organization, like any relationship
between either two individuals or
entities, you have the same expec
tation. You expect to be protected.
Throughout the Middle East the
average individual has the expecta
tion that their government would
look out for their best interest and
provide economic stability. But
the time came when it didn’t hap
pen and they took matters into their
own hands. You see it’s like a dom
ino effect as governments are top
pled and changed through the sheer
will of the individuals unwilling to
remain complacent as their liberties
are stripped. It’s the ability to use
their voice and determination to in
still change. It’s as simple as refiis-
in^to allow a stagnant relationship
to fester.
It’s become no different within
our own borders as people lose
their jobs as much-needed govern
ment programs lose funding and as
people struggle just to keep their
homes, yet where are the voices?
Where are the protests? Why is
the majority not standing
up and refusing to accept
the status quo? It’s a time
when people need strong
programs to help supple
ment their incomes and
create stability. It’s a time
when governments are fail
ing to support and care for
their citizens. Where are the citizen
protestors in this country?
Protests have erupted in Wis
consin over the state budget. The
rest of the country must be asleep.
The majority of states are cutting
massive amounts or program bud
gets, yet you don’t see any massive
protests. The Tea Party movement
should have sparked or inspired the
average citizen to action, although
you had a political movement the
average working class citizen has
taken no stand to protect their rights
or make demands to protect their
standard of living.
The upheaval in the Middle East
and Africa has sparked a domino
effect. The difference between the
Tea Party movement and protests in
Egypt and Tunisia is simply that the
Tea Party movement was a political
movement whereas the Egyptian
protests where sparked and driven
by the average citizen. There was
no class or political boundaries. The
people had enough and
refused to comply and
bend to political pressure.
Now to think a little
closer to home, last
year many individuals
throughout North Caroli
na received lOU’s instead
of tax refunds from the
state. The state is quick to take but
slower to give back.
All of these things become per
sonal suddenly when state issues
begin to affect Fayetteville Stat^
University students directly. Imag
ine being a student and expecting
that your classes will be available
next semester. Imagine being a
student who works for the univer
sity and suddenly finds themselves
without a job or the expectation of
ajob.
The unemployment rate for the
Fayetteville area in December was
at 9 percent, down from 9.3 percent
from November, according to the
North Carolina Employment Secu
rity commission. The unemploy
ment rate for December in North
Carolina was 9.7 percent. Therefore
the Fayetteville area average is less
than the state unemployment aver
age.
Given all that information then
why are people losing their jobs
at such a high rate. Why is FSU
expected to have such high cuts?
More importantly how will the 8.2
percent tuition increase affect the
students on top of the reduced ser
vices and class availability.
I keep hearing that FSU will pro
tect the “core.” The university can
not make such deep cuts in person
nel, Services and classes and still
maintain a quality level of educa
tion for students. How can you pro
tect the “core” when those needed
to service and maintain the core are
being sacrificed?
The big question is where are the
student voices and protests against
such high tuition increases, loss of
services and classes. Where are the
student protests and voices speak
ing against the loss of their quality
of life on campus and in the com
munity?
Most of the country just isn’t pas
sionate over a mutual goal even if it
means allowing the government to
strip away rights one at a time and
strip away necessary services for
those in need. When does it stop?
You have to care before there is
nothing else left to protect.
It has become too much. When
does this relationship between stu
dents and FSU become something
that students refuse to stand and
allow to maintain a choke hold on
the quality of education and life on
campus?
When do you say “I’m done. It
stops here and no more.”?
This relationship has gone far
enough. It’s time to let your voices
be heard. It’s time to put aside the
expectation that things will just get
better, that FSU will somehow pro
vide. It’s time to just refuse to allow
the loss of so many things.
According to an article in the
Fayetteville Observer, last Saturday
Fayetteville State University has
the largest tuition hike in the UNC
system. What happened to that 6.5
percent increase that no one seemed
to care about. No one spoke out and
now it’s 8.2 percent.
It’s time for the relationship to
change. It’s time to hold the univer
sity to a higher standard and expect
that support and trust or it is politics
as usual.
ALICIA
BAYAT
FINDING
MY VOICE
Where is the passion:
?
By Nike Pascal
Staff writer
Regardless of the different political parties,
who is voted into office or the issues plaguing
Americans addressed during the campaigning
season or at national conferences, no resolu
tions are applied that actually work. The con
cerns of Americans remain the same: health
care, un-employment and lack of quality edu
cation.
The unemployment rate is 9.0%. It has not
changed since last year. The minimum wage
is $7.25/hr according to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
“There are two problems with the jobs
recovery...employers haven’t added enough
jobs.
And those they have added aren’t particu
larly good ones,” said Chris Isidore, senior
writer for New York and author of Jobs are
back! But the pay stinks. In other words this
new job creation is too small in quantity to
impact the unemployment rate and to add to
the situation. The majority of these jobs are
currently paying less than $9/hr.
Earning less than $ 12/hr makes it extreme
ly difficult for anyone to make ends meet and
raise a family. Low paying jobs in combina
tion with a higher cost of living have driven
When will Americans speak ,
up and stop carrying the na
tion's financial setbacks in si
lence? Recent events across
the Middle East have toppled
governments over economic'
woes,
many Americans to work two jobs to manage.
It has also contributed to the low
standard of living. On Sept. 16,
2010, the Census Bureau released Income,
Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in
the U.S. 2009, which indicated that 43.6 mil
lion Americans were living in poverty, mak-.
ing it the highest amount since 1994 and the
number of people without health coverage
rose to 50.7 million.
Last week, President Obama proposed
the 2012 budget. The new budget plan is for
$3.7 trillion and it comes along with numer
ous cutbacks in social aide programs like the
low income heating assistance program and a
purposed tax increase. If the budget is passed
see AMERICANS, page 5
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