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During a meeting a few weeks ago, I told a reporter for The Maine Campus that I strongly disagreed with Senator Nate Wildes’ assertion that the General Student Senate had no business taking a position on the second coming of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), a rigid tax formula that would tie state revenue to population growth and inflation.
In 2006, the GSS unanimously voted to oppose TABOR, agreeing to language calling a no vote “imperative.” As the elected voice of the student body, the senate has a moral obligation to voice concern on any initiative that could affect University of Maine funding and tuition costs.
The GSS works on the trustee model. Senators are elected by the student body to work in their best interests. If students disagree with the senate’s decisions, ample time is made available at each meeting to voice concerns. Students can run for senate themselves or vote senators out.
Implementation of TABOR legislation in Colorado sent the Rocky Mountain State to 49th in education funding. Tuition skyrocketed so much that some public, out-of-state schools market themselves as cheaper to Coloradans. Clearly, TABOR could have a tremendous impact on the University of Maine System.
In his piece last week, Michael Shepherd suggested I have a partisan agenda because of my involvement with the Democratic Party, specifically in regards to my role as president of the Maine College Democrats.
In Maine our referendum issues are nonpartisan. Voters will give the bill an up or down vote with no attached party affiliation on Nov. 3. That’s why nonpartisan groups like the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and the Bangor City Council have voted to oppose the issue.
Had I made an attempt to endorse a candidate or party, criticism would have been more than appropriate. Mr. Shepherd calls the fight over TABOR a “partisan issue” but fighting to keep tuition low and education accessible for hardworking Maine families was not a partisan issue.
I was elected to the GSS last year by a constituency of students from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to work on issues that matter to the student body. Many of these students are fortunate to have parents — or in my case, a single parent — who make sacrifices, living on only dollars a week to allow so many of us to live here and earn an education. Resulting tuition increases from TABOR would make attending school nearly impossible for these students.
I’ve been attending GSS meetings since my election last fall. For someone who has so much to say about how the senate functions, I have yet to see Mr. Shepherd at a GSS meeting.
During a speech on Tuesday night, I extended an invitation to Mr. Shepherd to let me introduce him to a hardworking student who makes sacrifices to pay for tuition rates that are already too high.
The reality is that I could introduce him to hundreds of students here that are making similar sacrifices. They know all too well that the rising cost of tuition is not a partisan issue.
I’m proud of my record of involvement with the Democratic Party. I’m equally proud of my good friend and senate colleague Zachary Jackman’s record of involvement with the Republican Party. Political involvement is not a disqualifier for looking at important issues objectively.
I don’t care whether or not a good idea comes from a Republican or Democrat — I’ll always vote for the best interests of my constituency. I know a dumb idea when I see it. TABOR was a dumb idea in 2006 and it’s a dumb idea in 2009.
The GSS has an obligation to take a stance on issues that affect the lives of University of Maine students. As long as I’m a member of the student senate, I’m going to fight for the best interests of my constituency.
Benjamin Goodman is a student senator representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
