Page 6, Student Printz
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Opinion
Thursday, November 10, 2011
From left to right: Mississippi Elections 2011
Student Shout-outs
Ashton Pittman Web Editor
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To the breakfast club that sits in the side room of the fresh at the round table MWF around 8:30, we come in this room to get away from the noise so we can do that crazy thing called studying. If you want to talk, go sit somewhere else. Whoa now, don’t go hatin’ on the skateboarders. There are more than a few of us that enjoy seeing them “glide around” on campus. Also, you wish cartoons were as good as they were in the 90s. Stay young, my friends.
To the tall, tan guy with the dreads mentioned in Tuesdays printz: I see you EVERYWHERE I go on campus. It’s ridiculous. Stop stalking me. ;) I didn’t know security guards got paid to sit in the lobbies of dorms, literally, all night watching TV. Man. I’d love to get paid for that.
Yea so ima need starbucks to realize that this I.S. N.O.T. AFTER HOURS at the club, contrary to popular belief it is a LIBRARY. START ACTING LIKE IT & TURN THE MUSIC OFF! WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE REALLY?!
Satan wins. At least, that’s what we can draw from Tuesday’s defeat of the so-called “Personhood Amendment” if Governor-elect Phil Bryant is to be believed. On Monday, Bryant compared fertilized eggs to Jews “being marched into the oven” and said the battle over Initiative 26 was one between good and evil. “The evil dark side that exists in this world is taking hold,” Bryant said. “And they’re saying what we want you to be able to do is continue to extinguish innocent life. You see, if we could do that, Satan wins.” Well, apparently, some of Satan’s allies voted for Bryant, too; the same majority that elected him also voted against government intrusion into women’s health care.
That may confuse those who thought Republican voters would automatically vote for 26. I see it differently. Granting personhood status to a fertilized egg in order to trump our pro-life credentials would have teetered on high hypocrisy. As much as I love Mississippi, I believe that we are the last state in the nation with standing to tout a dedication to the sanctity of life. Children who enter the world in Mississippi have the worst prognoses in the country for a full life. In an article for the Washington Post last week, Frances Kissling pointed out several alarming statistics about our state: We have the lowest personal income rate in the nation. We are last in academic achievement. We have an extremely high infant morality rate. We are third in a list of the least insured states. We have the second highest im-
prisonment ratio. Yet Mississippi has selected Phil Bryant, whose status quo policies promise nothing but more of the same. It is entirely consistent, therefore, that we did not vote to make sacrosanct the lives of zygotes when our current system doesn’t even treat the lives of those who are already here with such dignity. That’s not entirely the fault of Mississippi voters. The state GOP has done a wonderful job of convincing Mississippians, especially middle and lower class whites, to vote against their own best interests. How else can we explain the effectiveness of campaigns that rallied citizens of one of the least insured states around a promise to fight health care reform? Meanwhile, the Mississippi Democratic party has done an abysmal job, often offering “conservative-lite” policies and candidates that leave progressive voters uninspired. Even Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree was hesitant to fully embrace progressive policies. Despite that, DuPree represented our greatest hope for change. “Mississippians are the greatest people in the nation,” DuPree said in his concession speech Tuesday night. “They deserve better than what they get.” Hear, hear. This was an article of opinion by Ashton Pittman, a writer for The Student Printz. Email questions or comments to ashton.pittman@eagles.usm.edu.
The Eaglepalooza lineup is so bad that Ole Miss should be hosting it. To all the girls wearing leggings and the wrong colored underwear or sloppy booties, PLEASE stop. Sincerely, a friend Happy Early Birthday to my girl Brittany Murphy!!! From K-Pad
To the guy watching porn in the library on school computers: 1.) Get a room. That’s sick. 2.) Sucks to suck because you’re never getting a girlfriend...enjoy your porn!
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Ashton and Tyler
Justin Sellers/Printz
Tyler HIll
Printz Writer Phil Bryant is Mississippi’s newly elected Governor, Initiative 26 was defeated by a landslide, Mississippi residents will now carry voter identification cards and eminent domain transfer is prohibited - these are the results of a highly competitive election cycle. First, let’s start with the Governor race. For months, Phil Bryant and Johnny DuPree have been battling for the Governor’s Mansion, and after outspending DuPree by a 7-1 margin, Bryant won the nomination. The win didn’t come as much of a surprise, however. DuPree didn’t
raise or spend much money. Bryant had television ads playing for months, yet DuPree didn’t produce a single ad on television. Though he lost significantly, DuPree’s campaign revealed something substantial: he has great character. Many times in politics, the mood and actions of candidates seem to turn negative, but DuPree stayed positive through his entire campaign, and that is something to appreciate. Next is the controversial Initiative 26. I must be honest, I thought the initiative had a great chance to pass because Mississippi is highly Republican, but I will happily admit I was wrong. Being conservative, one might think I’d vote for it, but because the law was too vague, I had to check no. The consequences of Initiative 26 are too significant. If it would have simply placed tighter restrictions on abortion, then it would have easily passed, but instead it was an openended amendment that could have led Mississippi into uncharted waters. The next issue on the ballot was the voter identification initiative. The measurement won by roughly 200,000 votes. The long overdue initiative will require Mississippi residents to carry a voter identification card with them to the polls. The process to vote in MS is fairly prehistoric. For example, yesterday my father and I went to the polls to vote. When he walked up to the front booth, he stated his name (Howard L. Hill). The poll worker in response stated, “David L. Hill, here is your voter access card.” As she marked off David’s name, my dad hastily replied that she mistakenly chose the wrong person. What would have happened if my dad wasn’t honest? He could have cast his vote twice. Instances like this are very common, and voter fraud is too easy in Mississippi. Voter identification cards will be the solution to the broken system. Finally, Initiative 31 had the highest approval ratings and won over 70 percent of the vote. The amendment will prohibit the government from transferring private property from one individual to any person, non-governmental entity, publicprivate partnership, corporation or other business entity. The explanation is simple. Federal, state or local governments should not have the right to take private property from an individual and give it to a private business. Period. Mississippi voters were clear about their feelings on important issues such as Initiatives 26, 27 and 31. Now we will wait and see if the government listens to “We the People.” This was an article of opinion by Tyler Hill, a writer for The Student Printz. Email questions or comments to tyler.hill@eagles.usm.edu.