10
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004
Todays election gives voters a chance to choose their representatives within the state and in Washington , D.C.
END OF THE LINE
Make the
right choices
at the polls
The DTH Editorial Board throws
its support behind these hopefuls
in races for state and local offices.
Erskine Bowles for U.S. Senate
North Carolina has consistently shown that it
doesn’t flirt with ideological extremes. The state needs
a representative in the Senate that reflects that centrist
mentality.
Erskine Bowles is that candidate. He is a Democrat,
but he has proven not to be far left of center. He has
also shown an ability to get others to negotiate and
compromise, a quality that would benefit both the state
and the country in Washington, D.C.
Although Richard Burr might have served his con
servative constituency well in North Carolina’s sth
District, he would be a less independent voice for the
state as a whole. He voted with the president 96 percent
of the time in 2003, saying Bush was right that often
—but North Carolina needs more than a “yes” man.
Mike Easley for governor
Incumbent Mike Easley is the only candidate
whom North Carolinians can rely on to ensure a
healthy fiscal future after years of heavy shortfalls.
In 2002, the state faced a budget deficit of $1.5 bil
lion. Through a combination of cuts and temporary
tax increases, Easley oversaw the creation of improved
budgets —and projections for 2004-05 show balance
between revenue and spending.
Patrick Ballantine, a former state senator from
Wilmington, presents a fresh challenge to Easley, but
his plans for the state budget simply don’t add up.
Although he claims he can cut $1 billion through
tort reform, information technology streamlining and
reform of the state construction office, there’s little to
guarantee that the savings will actually be there.
Easley represents the stability of leadership that
North Carolina needs as it continues to crawl out of
tough economic times.
David Price for U.S. House
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David Price has demonstrated a commitment to
his constituents in North Carolina’s 4th District. His
hard work in representing their interests makes him
the best candidate for the House.
Price supported students in his constituency by fight
ing for income tax deductions for student loans. He also
wrote a bill in 2003 that gives scholarships to aspiring
teachers and helped push it through the House.
His spirited defense of free trade in the face of a
growing isolationism and intense political pressure
is also worth noting. Price has displayed a kind of
leadership all too rare in politics.
He deserves two more years in Congress.
Ellie Kinnaird for N.C. Senate
Elbe Kinnaird’s experience and strong support
for education, health care, the environment, a death
penalty moratorium and other initiatives help to
make her the best candidate for the job.
North Carolina needs a legislator who is willing
and able to advocate for politically risky initiatives.
Her pro-tax ideas wouldn’t sell well in any other area
of North Carolina, but the state’s programs need
funding. Citizens need her to fight for that money.
Franklin, Carey for Board of Commissioners
Artie Franklin promises to work to set up a dis
tricting system that would guarantee rural residents
control of at least one seat on the board in a county
dominated by the votes of Chapel Hill and Carrboro
residents an idea that would help ensure more
proportional representation among commissioners.
Moses Carey, who has served on the board since
1984, brings an invaluable amount of experience and
a strong record to the table.
Although Carey’s pursuit of a merger of Chapel
Hill-Carrboro City and Orange County schools has
been somewhat reckless at times, he has legitimate
concerns about the discrepancy of funding between
the systems. He has shown that he is willing to work
toward a compromise to equalize funding.
The two candidates bring different but comple
mentary approaches to the board. Voters should
strongly consider both of them.
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WHAT READERS THINK
During the past few months, UNC has seen a flurry of political activity and efforts to get out the vote
now, several readers justify their support for the candidates whom they want to emerge victorious today.
Patrick Ballantine represents a
welcome change for the state
TO THE EDITOR:
Patrick Ballantine has a strong plan
for North Carolina. He intends to
make available better funding for our
public universities and community col
leges and to make it easier for parents
to choose their children’s education
options, be it public, private, charter
or home-schooling.
He wants to balance economic
development with environmental pro
tection by supporting legislation to
prevent pollution in the Great Smoky
Mountains as well as on our coast. The
Clean Water Management Trust Fund,
co-sponsored by Ballantine as a state
senator, has been a beneficial piece of
legislation for every geographic region
of North Carolina.
Ballantine will work to keep health
care costs down for citizens of North
Carolina by supporting tort reform to
curb frivolous lawsuits, to cap non-eco
nomic damage payments and to limit
emotional jury awards; authorizing
health savings accounts to allow citizens
to save money for health costs with tax
free dollars; allowing health insurance
tax credits for individuals and small busi
nesses; and supporting insurance “pool
ing” to make volume discounts available
in order to lower insurance premiums.
Most importantly, Ballantine plans to
fight for cuts in tax rates, which have been
raised three times because of Gov. Mike
Easley’s broken campaign promises. It’s
time for a change in North Carolina, and
that change is Patrick Ballantine.
Jenny Stevens
Sophomore
Political science
Consider a presidential hopeful
who hasn't tried to deceive us
TO THE EDITOR:
The Vote Carolina Executive Board,
on which I serve, has worked diligently
to keep partisan views out of official
on-campus activities. Our presiden
tial candidates and “unaffiliated” 5275,
however, are resorting to shameful
deception and politics.
I’m tired of hearing about the can
didates’ plans to cut in half a deficit
projected by the Congressional Budget
Office to soar to $1.4 trillion in 10
years. These numbers are fabricated
Goldman Sachs projects the deficit
to reach $5.5 trillion.
I’m tired of trying to decide whether
I should vote for a man who voted for a
war, then voted for the funding for our
troops and then voted against it. I’m
also quite sure that I’m not voting for
a man who started a war with Iraq that
was based on shoddy intelligence.
I’m looking for a candidate that
supports equal rights for all sexual
orientations, but I can’t find one in
the Democratic Party. My hopes for a
Republican who trusts the free market
enough not to pass a $136 billion cor
porate welfare bill have been dashed.
I’m still waiting for “small-government”
Opinion
Bush to veto one single bill.
A time comes when pragmatism
is replaced by partisan bickering and
misinformation, rhetoric and invec
tive, mistrust and hatred. And when
that time comes, we need to remember
the principle behind our pragmatism.
This year I’ll be voting for the rep
resentative of the “Party of Principle,”
Libertarian Michael Badnarik. Like
many libertarian-minded people, I’ve
tried to find the more small-government
candidate among the two major parties.
Like many libertarian-minded people,
I’ve failed to find one in this election.
Every vote for Badnarik in this year’s
razor-thin presidential election will'
serve as a reminder to the two major
parties that if they had only tried, they
could have had our vote.
Jeremy Spivey
Junior
Psychology
Choosing Kerry, Bowles would
be avoiding more of the same
TO THE EDITOR:
I write today to endorse enthusias
tically John Kerry for president and
Erskine Bowles for U.S. Senate.
I first became aware of Kerry about
three years ago, when, happening upon
an interview on cable TV, I immedi
ately thought, “That man should be
president,” because of his eloquence,
demeanor, intelligence and command
of foreign policy issues. I found that I
agreed with him on almost every issue
and admired his bravery both in combat
and in helping to end an unjust war.
Not long after I became a Kerry fan,
I first met Erskine Bowles. Having now
volunteered for both the 2002 and
2004 Bowles for Senate campaigns and
having met him about eight times, I
can attest to his charisma, good humor
and, above all, the passion he holds for
North Carolina and for America. Also
clear is his experience and success in
forging bipartisan solutions to our
challenges.
So why not Bush or Burr? As James
Carville once put it, “Change versus
more of the same.”
Choosing Bush would be choosing to
make this nation endure four more years
of failed policies and ignorance of our
domestic ills. He has flip-flopped on his
profession to be a “uniter, not a divider”
and a “compassionate conservative.”
Rather, he is the most divisive, ideologi
cal and politically driven president ever.
Burr would follow in Bush’s foot
steps. He has also followed Bush in put
ting big companies over our consumers,
workers and farmers.
Kerry and Bowles are moderate, prov
en leaders who have committed their
lives to advocating for the people, for fis
cal responsibility and for foreign sanity. I
urge all students to think of their future
and to voice their opinion with a vote for
John Kerry and Erskine Bowles.
Dustin Ingalls
Sophomore
Political science
Burr has served the state and
worked to protect the country
TO THE EDITOR:
The election 0f2004 presents Chapel
Hill voters with pivotal decisions
regarding the future of our county, state
and nation. Today, voters should choose
Richard Burr to be our next senator.
Having served in the U.S. House
since 1995, Burr has accumulated
indispensable experience that will be
essential to the implementation of
future policies aimed at bettering our
state and nation.
Serving on the House Intelligence
Committee, Richard Burr has played
a leading role in crafting policies to
defend our homeland, to secure our
borders and ports and to wage war on
terror while steadfastly supporting our
courageous troops. Burr has remained
loyal to the state of North Carolina
by supporting actions to improve our
economy: pushing for a tobacco quota
buyout, advocating lower taxes for all
citizens and sustaining free trade that
is executed fairly.
Furthermore, Richard Burr under
stands the proper role of the judicial
system. He will work to confirm strict
- constructionists to the bench, ensuring
that the U.S. Constitution is upheld and
that the task of making laws remains
with the elected legislature. Perhaps his
most endearing quality, Burr maintains
a true devotion to the people of North
Carolina.
Republicans, Democrats and inde
pendents alike should elect Richard
Burr. He will stand firm to defend the
values of North Carolinians and to
guarantee that our state has depend
able representation in Washington,
D.C. Help him put people before poli
tics by electing him to the U.S. Senate.
Matthew Bowles
Sophomore
Business
Atkinson supports education
that the state's students need
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing to encourage students
to vote for June Atkinson for state
superintendent of public instruction.
What is truly at stake in this election
is the lives of North Carolina’s young
people. Atkinson, in addition to hav
ing more than 30 years of experience
as a teacher and administrator in North
Carolina, will work to restore respon
sible, “abstinence-plus” sexual health
education to our public schools. More
than 50 percent of new HIV infections
occur in people under the age of 25
they are disproportionately women,
disproportionately women of color and
disproportionately in the South.
This election is about giving the
young people of this state the informa
tion they need to keep themselves safe.
Please vote for June Atkinson today.
Sara Joseph
Sophomore
International studies
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By Steven Oklesh, elven@email.unc.edu
Troxler, a farmer, knows what
the agriculture industry needs
TO THE EDITOR:
Steve Ttoxler, a Republican, is a man
who has dedicated his life to agricul
ture, and he deserves your vote for N.C.
commissioner of agriculture.
Troxler, 52, has farmed his land in
Guilford County for almost 30 years.
During this time, he has more than
proven his qualified leadership that
makes him an outstanding candidate
and advocate of agriculture in North
Carolina. For instance, Troxler played
an instrumental role in getting the
tobacco buyout legislation passed
through Congress, and he has been the
leader of many agricultural and conser
vation boards across the state.
You might remember TYoxler’s name—
he almost pulled off a monumental
upset when he lost to the now infamous
Meg Scott Phipps in the 2000 race. If
not for the state’s three major urban
counties, Troxler would have easily won
in 2000, as he won many of the agrar
ian and predominantly Democratic
counties in Eastern North Carolina.
What makes Troxler so appealing,
with bipartisan support, is the fact that
he is a farmer running for the position.
Asa Browns Summit farmer who still
gets his hands dirty, Troxler knows
first-hand the day-to-day challenges of
the state’s agriculture industry, espe
cially the needs of family farms.
So today, vote Steve Troxler for N.C.
commissioner of agriculture —a man
who, as witnessed during the 2000
election, is agriculture’s choice without
a doubt. After all, wouldn’t it just make
sense to have a farmer as commissioner
of agriculture?
David Adkins
3rd year
School of Law
Voters should consider certain
judges in nonpartisan contests
TO THE EDITOR:
North Carolina will be electing its
judges in a nonpartisan fashion for the
first time Tuesday. The new law was
intended to make the race more fair to
candidates who are supposed to keep
their impartiality.
But there are still some good
Democrats for whom I would encour
age you to cast a ballot. Re-elect Sarah
Parker to the N.C. Supreme Court and
vote for James Wynn for the second
Supreme Court seat. Wynn sits on the
N.C. Court of Appeals, where he has
14 years of experience. His election
will also bring back a needed African-
American voice to the state’s highest
court.
I also encourage you to re-elect
Linda McGee, Alan Thornburg and
Wanda Bryant to the Court of Appeals,
where they can continue their excellent
service to our state.
Justin Guillory
Senior
Political science