Ask a fiscal conservative like Rand Paul, and he or she will tell you that success is measured in nothing but dollars. Rand Paul expressed this sentiment in the Senate when he suggested that the United States Postal Service should not be bailed out with government money.

“I always ask people would you like to buy the Postal Service?” Paul joked. Then he lamented, “If we could just sell it to somebody.” According to Paul, a public service should be completely privatized, or else abolished, simply because it isn’t making a profit.

Last time I checked, the purpose of a national Post Office is to deliver mail, not to impress shareholders. Paul claims to be a strict constitutionalist, and yet he ignores the fact that the Constitution’s Postal Clause doesn’t require the USPS to be profitable.

Official portrait of United States Senator (R-KY). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paul acknowledged his idea would be politically unpopular. But his suggestion, that a public service as crucial as the Postal Service should be made into a private company, betrays his elitist attitude: Paul thinks that nothing is successful unless it is profitable. To him, unprofitable government spending always equals failure.

But Paul’s profit-first standard is really elitism of the worst kind. Privatizing or charging more for public services on the grounds of saving money is the worst thing a government can do.

For example, if the Post Office were privatized, many people would stop getting mail.

This is because it’s impossible to make a profit delivering mail to poor, rural areas. Costs outweigh the earnings to be had providing small towns or farms with this service. No private company would do it unless the residents of those places paid a fee to cover the costs. Requiring the Post Office to make a profit would mean extorting some Americans, or else cutting them out of the loop altogether.

If you don’t think a for-profit Post Office would be so cruel to the poor, let me recount the far crueler madness that goes on near South Fulton.

One year the City of South Fulton, Tennessee, was having trouble funding its fire department. The fiscally conservative state government refused to raise taxes to help South Fulton. The city didn’t want to raise taxes on its own people either. Consequently, the city decided that outlying rural areas would have to pay an annual fee if they wanted to keep their fire protection.

Two years ago, a rural man’s house caught fire. He had not paid the year’s fee. South Fulton firefighters showed up—and watched as his house burned.

Yes, really. The firefighters only came to protect the property of neighbors who had paid the fee. Though the poor man begged, the firefighters refused to help him; if they did help, they said, other poor people would stop paying the fee.

The rural man and his family lost their house and everything they owned. Their pets—three dogs and a cat—died in the flames. Another home near South Fulton suffered a similar fate in December last year. There’s no sign South Fulton will put humanity before profit any time soon. One might wonder if Rand Paul ever asks people whether they’d like to buy Kentucky’s unprofitable fire departments.

But let’s pretend for a moment that you don’t feel any empathy for the poor. What has profitless government spending done for you?

You’re a Mason student. Did you apply for any cheap federal loans? Be careful with your answer. According to a 2008 Cornell University study, 53% of students given low-interest student loans from the government claimed they have never benefitted from a federal program. Unless you were born into the Paul family and have thousands of dollars for an up-front payment every semester, you probably did.

Next time your economics-majoring friend complains about government spending, ask him if his family took out any federal loans. If he says no, ask him which iPhone app he invented to cover his $4,000 tuition.

The next time Rand Paul complains about government spending, remember that he’s really annoyed that poor and middle-class people are being helped without a concern for profit.

To be fair, not all government spending is helpful. The grossly inflated defense budget is one such expense. However, most fiscal conservatives aren’t complaining about this years’ $1.4 trillion defense budget.

Maybe the Libertarians are complaining, but they seem to think post offices, fire departments, and student loans are as wasteful as foreign wars. They measure success in dollars, so it’s probably hard for them to see a difference.

http://storify.com/nosliwneelloc/gmu-study-on-primary-coverage-misconstrued

Photo courtesy of: kaineforva.com

In November, Virginians will go to the polls to elect a United States Senator to fill the seat left by retiring Senator Jim Webb.  Tim Kaine is hoping Virginians will elect him.  As Governor, he improved Virginia’s economy and made education and environmental issues a top priority.  In addition to Governor, Tim Kaine has served as Mayor of Richmond, Lieutenant Governor, and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee—Kaine is now hoping to add Senator to that list. Governor Kaine took time from his busy campaign schedule to sit down and answer a few questions for the George Mason community—and for that, we thank him.

1. Your senate race is promising to be one of the most expensive of the 2012 cycle. What steps, if any, is your campaign taking to blunt the impact of out of state money?

There is no question this will be a close election that will require substantial resources to win, but those competing to be Virginia’s next Senator have a responsibility to run races that honor Virginia’s tradition of transparency and accountability in campaign finance. In the very first debate of this campaign, I offered George Allen a chance to run a no-outside money campaign, and he refused. When I gave him a second chance, and asked him to sign a pledge to keep secret money of this race, he turned me down again. Already, outside groups have spent over $1.5 million in our race on false TV ads.

But we have a secret weapon of our own, and that’s our incredible grassroots support. I am fortunate to have a strong base of grassroots support – since the start of this campaign we have received support from more than 20,000 individual donors. We will work hard to continue to build on this momentum, as every phone banker, door knocker and small dollar donor will be critical to win this race.

2. The amount of student debt incurred by today’s graduates continues to grow and has many wondering if college is even worth it. What are your thoughts on this?

Whether students choose to enroll in a university, a community college, technical school or a workforce training program, it’s important that we do more to ensure high school graduates have access to high-quality, affordable options to continue their education and increase their skills. As Lieutenant Governor, I helped shepherd $900 million into expanding the state’s higher education system, and as Governor I led passage of an additional $1.4 billion bond package in 2008 to construct state of the art classrooms and labs. I also allocated millions to need-based tuition assistance for Virginia’s students.  As Senator, I will work to increase access to higher education and preserve programs that increase the affordability of higher education, like the Pell Grant program.

But the bottom line is, students should not have to incur extraordinary debt to develop the skills they need to compete in an increasingly tough global job market. We have seen in Virginia that when we invest in education, improve its quality and lower its cost, our students develop skills that attract businesses and contribute to the talent economy that is critical to secure the United States’ position as an economic leader. I will take this Virginia lesson to Washington and pursue the same strategies at the national level, to make sure we have a national talent strategy that matches and exceeds our global competitors.

Photo courtesy of: kaineforva.com

3. Recent college grads are having a hard time finding good jobs. What is your plan to get Virginia’s young people working?

I am committed to ensuring that Virginia’s higher education system adequately prepares its graduates to find jobs in an increasingly competitive job market.  All Virginia students deserve access to affordable higher education, but it’s equally important that the degrees they earn give them the skills necessary for the jobs open today. As I travel around the Commonwealth meeting with business leaders in every region of the state, I hear time and again that they have jobs available but can’t find workers with the appropriate credentials.  Improving our workforce training and technical education is absolutely essential to ensuring that today’s workers are prepared to compete for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

4. Everyone seems to agree that something needs to be done about the soaring national debt. Obviously, this is a very complicated issue, but could you give us some insight into the type of debt reducing legislation that you would support as a senator?

The federal deficit is a pressing problem, and I would support legislation that balances significant, targeted cuts with strategic investments to bolster our economy. During my term as Governor, we faced the worst national economic period since the Great Depression. In order to balance Virginia’s budget, we cut over $5 billion in state spending, including my own salary. I made major spending cuts as Governor and left office with a smaller state general fund budget than the one I inherited four years earlier. I know how to make spending cuts. But, we will never get to balance through budget cuts alone.

5. Assuming guaranteed success, what single piece of legislation would you introduce tomorrow?

I would introduce legislation that would expand opportunities for students to afford and access workforce training, community college programs and higher education – investments in our talent would help us attract businesses, grow our economy and create more jobs. For the last century, the United States has been the world’s largest economy and a leader in innovation, but we must continue to invest in education to ensure we remain the most talented nation on earth. If we fix everything else, but do not return America to its status as the best-educated nation, we will cede our role as the most dynamic economy on earth.

At a gathering in Washington, D.C. the following day, Mitt Romney made no mention of his primary opponents and took the opportunity to rail against the President.

In the week ahead of the primaries, influential Republicans such as Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, former President George H.W. Bush, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush all endorsed Romney, trying to put to an end what has been a divisive primary.

On CBS Wednesday morning, former Republican nominee, and one time Romney opponent, John McCain called on Rick Santorum to drop out of the race saying, “It’s clear that [Romney] is the nominee,” … “I hope Rick Santorum understands that it is time for a graceful exit.”

Despite calls for his exit Rick Santorum has vowed to persevere.  The next primary is on April 24 in Santorum’s home state of Pennsylvania in what Santorum himself has described as a “must win.”

Experts question whether Santorum has the money to soldier on for the next three weeks.

On Tuesday, President Obama took a swipe at Romney, mentioning for the first time the candidate by name and signaling that the White House believes that Romney will be the eventual nominee as well.

Mitt Romney needs 1,144 delegates in order to wrap up the nomination.   In the unlikely event that Romney fails to reach 1,144 delegates then the candidates would go to a brokered convention in August.

Santorum had previously pledged to continue through the primaries until the Pennsylvania primary, which will be held on April 24, but reconsidered today after poll numbers show that he was not ahead in the polls in his home state. His daughter Bella’s ailing health was also cited as a reason for his withdrawal from the race.

According to Yahoo News, Santorum called Mitt Romney to inform him of his decision to pull out.

With Santorum gone, Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are the only three candidates left in the primaries. Gingrich, who is millions of dollars in debt from his campaign, said that Romney is “far and away the most likely” Republican nominee.

Paul, who has trailed behind in the polls, is adamant that he will stay in the race until the end. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Paul reiterated his stance.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo taken from DonkeyHotey from Flickr

The presidential primary season is reaching its halfway point. On April 4 Mitt Romney swept the GOP presidential primaries in Maryland, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, bringing him another step closer to securing the Republican nomination and the general election in November.

With another three primaries now over, it’s a good time to look at the race for the Republican presidential nomination as it stands now.

Who won which states so far:

• Mitt Romney – New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada, Maine, Michigan, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Ohio, Virginia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Idaho, Northern Marianas, Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, District of Columbia

• Rick Santorum – Iowa, Missouri (non-binding primary), Minnesota, Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Dakota, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

• Newt Gingrich – South Carolina, Georgia

• Ron Paul – Virgin Islands

Latest delegate tally:

• Mitt Romney – 655
• Rick Santorum – 278
• Newt Gingrich – 135
• Ron Paul – 51

Though Romney boasts a clear lead, he still needs a total of 1,144 delegates to secure the nomination.

Also on Tuesday, President Obama formally clinched the Democratic nomination.

The next primaries will be held on April 24 with Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Delaware.

Sources:

The Washington Post, “Mitt Romney wins Wisconsin, Maryland, D.C. primaries”

Fox News, “Romney sweeps 3 primary contests, eyes general election battle”

2012 Presidential election schedule

A crowd gathers at the Reason Rally in Washington DC. Photo by Flickr user makelessnoise.

The Reason Rally, held on March 24 in D.C., was billed as the largest organized gathering of secular people and organizations in world history.

The event was put on by the non-profit group Reason Rally coalition, in an attempt to empower secular Americans and dispel negative stereotypes about atheists and agnostics.

Richard Dawkins at the Reason Rally. Photo by Flickr user SPakhrin.

Image of Bob McDonnell by Flickr user gageskidmore.

Virginia is in the process of approval to build a 479 foot tall wind turbine off the coast of Cape Charles in the Chesapeake bay. If the turbine passes review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard, the project could be complete as early as 2013, making Virginia home of the first wind turbine generator in the states.

“This is an important next step in developing all of Virginia’s domestic energy resources to help power our nation’s economy and puts Virginia at the forefront of clean energy technology development,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a statement announcing the marine commission’s unanimous vote.

The purpose of the project is to test the prototype developed by Gamesa Energy USA LLC’s new offshore WTG technology, the G11X. If proven successful, the prototype could be transitioned to worldwide markets by 2015. The life expectancy of the prototype is projected to be 20 years.

McDonnell touts the project as a step forward in his all of the above energy approach, in which he plans to increase wind, oil, coal, nuclear and renewable energy sources to make Virginia the energy capital of the east coast.

The turbine will provide up to five megawatts of clean renewable windpower to the Virginia transmission grid for public use. The governor hopes that this will decrease use of fossil fuel and improve Virginia air quality.

According to the The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the structure will not have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, fish will be attracted to the shade and shelter, increasing recreational fishing opportunities.

“This is an exciting project,” said VMRC Acting Commissioner Jack Travelstead in an article posted on the Virginia governor’s website. “This will bring jobs, energy, important new scientific information and enhanced fishing opportunities for recreational anglers.”

But every Mason student should be dancing on the bill’s grave.

The Keystone Pipeline XL is an anti-green project, and when I say “green” I mean your money.

According to an independent study by Cornell University, if Keystone XL is ever built, your gas could cost you between 10 and 20 cents more per gallon.

Speaker Boehner would prefer you didn’t know that.

“We can’t wait for this project to get started,” Boehner wrote in a recent letter to President Obama.

Boehner is happy to let the public think that this project is a brand new pipeline and a solution to high gas prices.

What Mr. Boehner isn’t telling you is that the Keystone Pipeline already exists.

The Keystone Pipeline was built almost two years ago. As you read this, it’s moving oil cheaply from a source in Canada to refineries in Illinois and Nebraska. Without that oil, your gas would be even more expensive.

Boehner doesn’t want you to know that, because he’s part of a plan to ship that oil overseas.

This plan is called, “The Keystone XL project.” If approved, the project will allow the pipeline’s owner, TransCanada Corp., to extend the already-built Keystone Pipeline all the way to Texas. Oil once bound for refineries in the heartland will end up in two major ports, Houston and Port Arthur.

Then it’s just a short boat ride through the Gulf of Mexico and/or the Panama Canal, and suddenly we’re paying a lot more for gas here in Fairfax.

Keystone XL demonstration, White House,8-23-2011 Photo Credit: Josh Lopez (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Canadian oil companies don’t like that the Keystone has made your gas cheaper. Extending the pipeline to ports means they can sell the gas to other countries instead, creating an artificial shortage here that will only end when you’re willing to devote whole paychecks to your fuel tank.

The oil will be exported, it’s a free market.

American corporations find it profitable to export 1.6 million barrels of oil out of the country every day. Canadian oil companies aren’t going to feel guilty doing the same.

John Boehner and company won’t feel guilty either: I’ll close by clarifying their motives.

By reading this article, you know more about The Keystone XL project than most Americans. If Boehner exploits that ignorance carefully, it could translate into a Republican victory in a tough election year.

Let’s not forget the money. TransCanada and the oil companies who use Keystone are publicly traded corporations.

If you’re a wealthy politician like John Boehner, you could make a fortune buying stock now and selling it after you help approve the Keystone XL scheme.

But what if you’re a regular Mason student? All Keystone XL offers you is higher gas prices.

Join the fight to keep your gas affordable. This issue will resurface and the pro-Mason side needs to refortify its defenses. Call Jim Webb, the VA Senator who joined Boehner on this issue. Tell him you know what’s up, that you’re not fooled. Tell him that Mason students think with their brains, and not with their Boehners.

For the 2008 election, there was an increase of young voters. Many Mason students were excited to vote, many for the first time.

This election may not attract the same attention.

“No one’s talking about it,” said Mallory Wuhrer, a Mason senior and communication major. “I’m sure people will talk about it in the fall when it kicks into gear, but not now.”

Some students appear to be frustrated with the entire election process.

“The American public has so little trust in our government,” said Kate Gohari a senior and government major. “We’re in gridlock right now. Nobody is coming together.”

Other students already know who they will vote for, regardless of the Republican nominee.

“I will be voting for Obama in the upcoming election,” said Alyssa Rajabi, a junior and communication major. “It seems like there isn’t a Republican candidate worthy enough of holding office.”

Mason strives to help students stay informed about the election, regardless of their political affliation.

“Mason Votes provides a platform for student opinion and commentary on political issues,” said Colleen Wilson, a sophomore and communication major.

Wilson is an editor at Mason Votes, a student organization that updates students about election news.

“The point is less on how Mason Votes will get students out to the polls, and more on a reflection of the young perspective on political issues.”

To stay informed about election news, visit masonvotes.gmu.edu.