Dems not playing by rules
To the Editor:
In his column ("Penn students should be able to vote near their residences," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 4/12/04), Kevin Collins demonstrates poor, partisan judgment. Collins insinuates that a Republican attempt to uphold the very same election procedures that were in place during the primaries is some malignant attempt to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming election.
The blatantly politically motivated timing of this request by city Democrats, so close to a contentious election, says it all. Their initiative is really a desperate ploy to squeeze a few more Democratic votes out of an arbitrarily selected, heavily Democratic district. Furthermore, this monkey-wrench lawyering by Kerry's "army of lawyers," typical of the party of frivolous lawsuits and exorbitant jury claims, will only serve Democrats with one more sexed-up and unfounded reason to cry wolf, yell and scream and fabricate conspiracy theories of voter disenfranchisement to galvanize their base.
By maintaining the relative difficulty of voting at other polling places while selectively lobbying City Hall, Collins and company are effectively jockeying to have their votes count more than the votes of other honest Pennsylvanians across the state. What's worst about Collins' wrang-ling to proclaim the legality of the proposal and his even more hyperbolic reading of the law to contrive a "right" to vote with our silver spoons within two minutes of our beds, is that voters across the state (my family included) have to walk or drive a lot further than Kevin Collins will to cast their votes, and they don't have the flexibility that students do, yet they realize that there is nothing "unfair" about their system of voting.
Instead of playing by the rules, Democrats have sought time and again to change them for political advantage. From Tammany Hall, to dead voters in Chicago, to the Lautenberg senatorial race, to the current controversy at Penn, the Democratic Party has earned the title "the party of electoral corruption."
Scott Robinson
Wharton '06
Voting rights non-partisan
To the Editor:
I am writing in regards to the coverage in the DP regarding the "controversy" surrounding the polling place initiative. I am confused by the partisan nature with which this has been depicted.
The Penn American Civil Liberties Union believes that the voting rights of students outweigh any partisan inclinations of either the Penn College Democrats or the College Republicans. It was the non-partisan goal of increasing voter turnout on campus that originally drew so many groups to it -- including the Republicans. Then, suddenly, the Republicans on campus withdraw from the initiative, leaving the University to withdraw its support as well, out of the fear of being viewed as partisan.
The Penn ACLU calls upon the University to resume its public support for the non-partisan initiative to add polling places. The voting rights of Penn students are not secondary to any of the wishes of one partisan campus group or political party.
Michael Patterson
College '05
The writer is the president of Penn ACLU. A dying legacy
To the Editor:
It is a sad day when a valuable piece of the fabric of the University, and a legacy of my days there, is left to perhaps die a slow death. In 1975, when a few of us gave a neglected carrier-current radio station at 730 AM a new life, with a new name -- WQHS -- and a full slate of music, news and even comedy, it was an exciting time in college radio. WQHS, from the very beginning, was a serious student-run endeavor, programmed from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week, with tight, vibrant shows that reflected the true personality of a diverse staff. Now it is being neglected in a most horrible way, and at a time in its history when it remains the only outlet for student participation and actual broadcast radio experience.
As one of the station's original founders, I implore the University and President Amy Gutmann to seize the opportunity to rescue and help grow a true student-run activity, a truly rich campus resource and a most viable training ground for broadcasters of the future. Please don't let our legacy be lost.
Richard Pawlak
FAS '79
The writer is the food editor of Philadelphia Style Magazine and the co-founder of WQHS.
