Hoping for a drastic election outcome

As a struggling independent thinker who is (to put it rather mildly), not a fan of either party’s partisan actions in recent years, I have chosen to cast a vote for chaos. As someone who believes the constant bickering between both parties has passed far beyond any and all levels of ridiculousness, I feel it is time to think outside the box and hope for something drastic, something unforeseen, something that would truly “rock the vote.”

As Election Day looms I will be rooting for both sides in a very unique way. As my ongoing frustration with both parties’ negativity and blind partisanship has hit a fevered pitch I have come to the conclusion that the only way to truly restore order is through chaos. Not your common, garden-variety chaos, not even the run-of-the-mill chaos we experienced immediately after the 2000 election. I’m speaking of chaos on a level not seen in our political system in quite some time.

By nearly every pollster’s account it seems the election will come down to a small number of seemingly undecided states. When one crunches the electoral math there is a small percentage of outcomes that would result in an Electoral College tie, 269 to 269. One such scenario would be undecided states such as Florida and Ohio going to Bush and other toss-up states (including Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) going to Kerry. While this is an unlikely scenario, I believe we all learned to expect the unexpected four years ago.

What would happen in such a scenario? If such a scenario were to come to fruition the newly elected House of Representatives would select the President and the newly elected Senate would select the Vice President. According to many polls, the new House will be a Republican majority while the new Senate will be a Democratic majority. Ladies and gentlemen I give you chaos!

Can you imagine a split administration? President Bush and Vice President Edwards? I can, and my hope is that if such a situation were to unfold, it would be so drastic that it would spur more and more change. Those in power would be forced to reexamine how they conducted themselves, instantly it would force more bipartisanship and a further shift to the middle, where I believe most Americans hold their beliefs and values. It seems to me that such a situation is the only way to create the drastic change needed in our current political landscape. I believe it is time to test the theory: can order truly come out of chaos? If so, I believe vastly needed change would not be far behind.

Greg Ward is a senior majoring in communication

Resident parking not worth the extra money

There were complaints from the residents last year that there were no spaces for them when they came back from work in the early morning. This year, parking lot 16 was expanded. Parking Lots 16 and 25 are together. These parking lots are behind the Andros Complex. The increase in size is to accommodate the increase in residents.

The price of Resident Parking Permits has risen $40 over the last year. When I picked up my permit, I was told that the cost increase would make resident lots “resident parking only,” 24/7. Also, there would be extra security in the parking lots.

I am sure that some of the $40 went to pay for this construction. However, I was told there would be more security, and I am still waiting to see where my extra money went. On the weekends, non-residents are still parking in the resident lots. Also, some residents park on the curb if there is no space close to their building. This makes driving through the parking lots annoying and difficult because you have to squeeze between two cars on the curb.

I have seen some cars park on the curb Friday night and not leave until Sunday. Is it that hard to walk? If there is no space by your building, then you shouldn’t park on the curb, but find a space in the parking lot. I have not had a problem finding a space all semester, even if I had to park all the way out by Fletcher. I want to see where my extra money went because so far it has not kept the resident parking lots residents-only or fixed the problem of people parking on the curbs 24/7.

Shaun Gonzalez is a sophomore majoring in mathematics and the Resident Hall Association Vice President.

Sidewalk chalking hardly a big deal
Re: Letter “Messages on Sidewalks Cross the Line of Nuisance.” Nov. 1

To point your finger and say it is a “low move by Bush supporters” is a low move on your part. Obviously, you just choose to see what you want because I have seen plenty of Pro-Bush and Pro-Kerry chalking. So there are perpetrators on both sides if you would open your eyes. The USF student handbook also refers to the childish graffiti done by Kerry supporters. To tell you the truth I really do not care about the chalking done around campus. I think if people (Bush, Kerry or Nader supporters) want to express their freedom of speech by chalking on campus sidewalks then let them.

It is really not that big of a deal. It infuriated me to see you blamed one group of supporters when both are doing it.

If you’re so worried about “defacing the campus, hurting the campus with childish actions, making the campus look ugly, and stirring up bad feelings,” then clean up all of that “filth” yourself.

Personally, I think that all of those colors give the sidewalk potential.

Clarisse Lafosse-Marin is a sophomore and has not declared a major yet.

Breast cancer a cause worthy of students’ time

I am a volunteer at the USF Advocacy Program and I was doing research on breast cancer. Breast cancer has run through my family, and I recently found out someone close to me has gotten the bad news. October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I was in the International Plaza and saw all of the awareness posters and all of the products companies are selling to promote breast cancer awareness. I walked around to every store that was promoting breast cancer awareness and collected information. Purchasing about five different products, spending around $110 you would donate about $50 to the foundation. I know that college students aren’t made of money, but even Payless has a $2 pin you can buy and the $2 goes to the foundation. A $2 good deed for the day might help someone in need. I think students should become more aware of this disease. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death in women. I bet most men on this campus believe it’s not possible for them to get, but recent studies are showing more and more men on these charts. There are so many companies right now that are turning proceeds to the foundation, maybe we should all think about it. When you are walking through the grocery store today, look for the pink ribbon.

Rachel Youngs is a junior majoring in criminology.