Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeff Zeleny.Editor, 472-1766
Kara Morrison.Opinion Page Editor
Angie Brunkow..Managing Editor
Jeffrey Robb.Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Columnist/Associate News Editor
Mike Lewis.Copy Desk Chief
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
Campaign ‘94
Daily Nebraskan Endorsements
Time to vote
UNL students can be a powerful voice
Last week, a Daily Nebraskan story about the voting habits of
18- to 24-year-olds suggested that most students probably would
not vote today.
John Hibbing, a political science professor, said 18- to 24-year
olds were the least likely age group to vote in an election.
Hibbing explained that members of this age group often don't
have deep enough roots in the community to be involved in local
politics.
And the widespread view of national issues is that one vote
doesn’t really count.
But what students don’t know is how much of a force they could
be.
What if, instead of the approximately 35 percent of 18- to 24
year-olds who vote, 50, 60, or even 90 percent of this age group
voted?
UNL alone has more than 20,000 voices to raise, if only stu
dents would use them.
Use it or lose it, the saying goes.
Whoever said it first probably wasn’t talking about voting, but it
applies. And although there’s not much danger of losing these
rights, there’s also not much room for complaints if one hasn’t
taken time to vote.
Forget the Generation X label, stop pulling your hair out over
that take-home exam, look up from the want ads and take a few
minutes to use your voice.
Please, vote.
Campaign ’94 Endorsements
Today, campaign 1994 enters its final day. The Daily Nebras
kan Has endorsed the following Nebraska candidates in the
past week. Here is a review of :>ur selections:
U.S. Senate
Bob Kerrey
House of Representatives
1st District: Patrick Combs
2nd District: Peter Hoagland
3rd District: Bill BarTett
Governor
Ben Nelson
Attorney General
Steve Scherr
NU Board of Regents
District 3: Chuck Hassebrook
District 4: Drew Miller
District 5: Robert Allen
District 8: Richard Berkshire
Constitutional Amendment
Vote “no” for term limit initiative
Suit editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necossarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students.
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor fro mall readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
properly of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters should included the author's name, year in school, major and group
affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan. 34 Nebraska Union. 1400 R St.. Lincoln. Neb. 68588 0448. . ,
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Single ticket is smartest vote
I hear the same idiocy during
every election season.
“Well, I don’t vote fur the
party,” says Jo Bob “informed”
voter, “I jus’ vote fur the indi
vidual.”
Oh, really, Jo Bob? And how do
you inform yourself about die
plethora of individuals out there
running for office?
“Well, I watch lots a TV, and
you can learn all sorts of neat stuff
there. Have you ever seen that
Discovery channel?”
So you watch the televised
debates and make your decisions
based on that?
“Oh, no, them debates are real
boring. I just watch the commer
cials. They’re short and kinda
colorful, and they tell ya lots in just
a few minutes, and they’re real
pretty to look at, too.”
So then, you’re planning to vote
today, Jo Bob?
“Oh. yes indeedy, I surely am. I
even cut out the Daily Nebraskan
endorsements so I could take ’em
to the polls (some a those there
names are pretty long, and I can’t
remember ’em). Those DN folks
sure are smart.”
All right, let’s hear it for the
individual. An overwhelmingly
uninformed, or at best,
underinformed electorate picking
the best man (or woman, in the
cases of Jan Stoney and Kate
Witek) to represent us.
The problem isn’t necessarily
with us, however. Although there
are certainly some very stupid
people out there who, informed or
uninformed, will vote for folks like
Bob Kerrey and Peter Hoagland,
most of us just don’t have time to
find out everything there is to know
about the candidates.
It’s unfortunate, but we have
school, jobs, families and many
other things in our lives that
supersede spending hours wading
through campaign paraphernalia in
order to decide who should get our
vote.
On top of the time commitment
I
Contrary to popular opinion, there's
nothing unintelligent about voting for
one party down the line. In fact, it's
probably the smartest thing you can *
do.
of becoming informed, we also
have to worry about lying politi
cians. Often, we inform ourselves
only to find that the information
was a ruse.
Certainly, six years ago Nebras
kans thought they were electing an
independent spirit to the U.S.
Senate. But when push comes to
shove, Sen. Bob Kerrey puts his
vote against Nebraska and for the
president, voting in the largest tax
increase in U.S. history. Kerrey,
like most politicians, votes with his
party.
What? Politicians vote with their
party? Well, maybe we’ve saved Jo
Bob from making some gratuitous
voting errors.
Political parties give us a
window into the basic ideology of
the individual we’re voting for.
And although they don’t tell us
how the individual will vote on
every issue, they do give us an idea
of where our representatives will
lean.
Republicans, for example,
generally have a desire to cuito the
growth of government and make it
less intrusive in the lives of
Americans. They often believe that
institutions like the family,
churches, and community organiza
tions can solve many problems that
government can’t begin to under
stand. They tend to be pro-life and
to support the line item veto, the
balanced budget amendment, term
limits, a strong defense, the death
penalty and easing the tax burden
on working families and expanding
businesses.
Democrats, on the other hand,
traditionally believe that govern
ment can and should intervene into
the lives of everyday Americans in
order to make them happier.
Although there are exceptions,
Democrats generally are pro
abortion, against term limits and
the balanced budget amendment
and support slashing defense and
raising taxes to support their
plethora of pork-filled social
legislation.
You might think I’m exaggerat
ing, but take a look at the two
parties’ platforms — or for a more
current comparison, look at the
recent GOP Contract with America.
There’s definitely a difference
between the two parties, and
therein lies the answer to Jo Bob’s
dilemma. The party has a track
record, and when you can’t know
the candidate (which is most of the
time), why not just vote for the
party?
Why vote on conjecture; why
not vote on what you know? Vote
for the party that the candidate
identifies himself with (unless
you're a tax and spend pro
abortionist, then you don’t have to
go to the polls at all).
Contrary to popular opinion,
there’s nothing unintelligent about
voting for one party down the line.
In fact, it’s probably the smartest
thing you can do. Let’s not have
any split tickets out there today.
Don’t be an ass, vote Republi
can.
Tar Iter Is a senior biology major awl
a Dally Nebraskan columnist.
P.S. Write Back
The Daily Nebraskan wants to hear from you. If you
want to voice your opinion about an article that
appears in the newspaper, let us know. Just write a
i brief letter to the editor and sign it (don’t forget your
student ID number) and mail it to the Daily Nebras
kan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R Street, Lincoln, NE
68588-0448, or stop by the office in the basement of
the Nebraska Union and visit with us. We’re all ears.