Miami Student

Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: OpEd Page

College Republicans

As Ohioans from across the Buckeye State flock to the polls today, voters will be faced by a Republican ballot filled with qualified candidates who have a proven record of accomplishment and extraordinary public service. Our Republican presidential hopefuls; U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Tex.); are three extraordinary candidates who have shown themselves to be competent leaders with solid conservative credentials. Whether it be the former Vietnam prisoner of war (McCain), the bass guitar-playing front man in the rock band Capitol Offense (Huckabee) or the medical doctor (Paul), Ohio voters are met with three individuals who will lower their taxes and allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets while continuing to secure America by keeping our troops on the offensive against the Islamic Jihadists bent on destroying the American way of life.

Locally, voters of Butler County will have the opportunity to pull the lever for our Congressman and the Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner. Boehner has proven himself to be an outstanding leader for the House Republicans in face of the "do-nothing" Nancy Pelosi Congress. Recently, Boehner called for the House to place a six-month moratorium on pork barrel spending in an attempt to curb the out of control spending habits Washington has come to love and cherish. Boehner realizes these wasteful spending habits are in no way the proper usage for our tax dollars and he is one of the House's most vocal opponents speaking out against this fiscally irresponsible problem. McCain is another Republican candidate who realizes pork barrel spending is a terrible way to spend American citizens' hard-earned money. While McCain does not engage in this wasteful spending practice, the same cannot be said for his two Democratic challengers. In November 2007, Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) released their earmark requests and only reinforced their liberal tax and spending reputation. Clinton led the pack of all (then) presidential contenders by requesting at least $530 million while Obama topped in around $40.6 million of his own projects. So much for fiscal restraint and responsibility.

In Butler County, Republicans have a plethora of solid conservative candidates. Leading our ticket as the Republican endorsed candidate for Butler County Commissioner is Chuck Furmon. From his days as a Hamilton policeman to his time spent as mayor of Hamilton and now as our county commissioner, Furmon has presided over a time of tremendous growth and prosperity in Butler County. Forbes Magazine has named Butler County one of the 100 best places to live in the United States. We currently have one of the lowest county tax rates in Ohio at 6.25 percent, all testaments to the hard work and dedication Furmon has put forth on behalf of Butler County. As a man of great principle and humble beginnings, Furmon will continue to lead Butler County with the dignity and class befitting that of a county commissioner.

Today the voters of Ohio have a tremendous responsibility in electing the nominees for November's general election. The Republican Party is offering the best solutions for the hard-working citizens of Ohio through our pro-growth and low-tax policies which will attract more high paying jobs, benefiting the students of Miami in our quest to find great employment after graduation. For more information on the Republican endorsed candidates in today's election please visit www.butlercountygop.org.

Chris Berry
Chairman, Miami University College Republicans
berrycj@muohio.edu

College Democrats

November 4, the American people will have a chance to write the next chapter in American history. The American people will have a choice between the status quo or real, positive change.

Although Democrats have not yet decided on a candidate, both Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are better choices for president of the United States than Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Both Democratic contenders have proven leadership and the vision necessary to lead America forward in a new direction, a better direction.

Clinton and Obama have similar policy positions to reverse the misguided fiscal and foreign policies of the Bush Administration. A Democrat in the White House means: a repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the rich and a tax for middle class families, a spending strategy to reign in the $9 trillion dollar deficit, diversification of the economy, a plan to keep American jobs on American soil and increased investment in environmentally sound technology.

Perhaps the most prominent difference between the future nominees will be their respective positions on foreign policy. A Democrat in the White House means a new direction in the war in Iraq. A McCain presidency means four more years of the careless Bush foreign policy that has left 3,973 U.S. soldiers and countless Iraqis dead in a destabilized region. Although Clinton and Obama disagree on the rate of troop withdrawal from Iraq, they are united in the belief that U.S. troops should be removed in a safe manner that will not jeopardize the safety of U.S. military forces nor the stability of the region. This policy is juxtaposed to the McCain position that calls for a 100-year occupation of Iraq.

The Democratic Party is offering the American people a chance at historic change. In the fall, people will have a chance to elect either the first woman or the first African-American as president of the United States. It is not surprising that the Grand Old Party has opted to stick with the status quo and chosen another cookie cutter Republican who is offering the same tax cuts for the rich and injudicious foreign policy. The nomination of McCain is an indictment of how out of touch the Republican Party is with the average American.

The excitement about the presidential candidates of the Democratic Party has not only improved the voter turnout in primaries and caucuses to date, but has also increased the interest in politics on our campus. Membership in College Democrats at Miami has swelled, and candidate-focused groups such as Students for Barack Obama and Students for Hillary Clinton reflect the commitment and dedication that students have toward their chosen candidate.

This November, the American people will have a clear choice between the two candidates from the respective parties. They will have a choice between the agents of change and a George Bush third term. It is time to return government back to the hands of the working class. It is time to end the practice of maverick foreign policy and time to restore the world's confidence in American leadership. Only a Democrat can do this. Clinton and Obama are ready to lead America forward towards a better tomorrow.

Aaron Turner and Sean Wright
President and communications director
Miami university college democrats
turnerab@muohio.edu and wrights7@muohio.edu

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