George Mason University students list their most important political issues
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
The George Mason University student body is home to a diverse range of political views and an equally wide set of beliefs about how those views are formed.
The students interviewed denied the conventionally-held notion that people’s political positions are determined primarily by their parents’ affiliation.
“My family and my religion influenced my beliefs initially,” said sophomore Tyler Stevens. “But that changed.”
Stevens said that, over time, he thought young people were likely to adopt political ideals opposed to their parents’.
“I definitely don’t follow the church so much,” Stevens said. “Entering high school, I started developing different views. My parents decided to start going to church more, and that kind of motivated. Everybody there put such a big emphasis on God and the Bible, and they took the Bible too literally. It had a negative impact, and it really turned me off. You can’t force someone to think a certain way.”
Stevens thought that friends’ political leanings were more important, theorizing that individuals gravitated to people whose ideas mirrored—and reinforced—their own.
Others agreed.
“My whole family’s Democratic, but that’s not the only reason I am,” said Senior Pujita Venkat. “That’s just a contributing factor. I went to a really liberal private school and most of my ideas came from my experience there.”
“I have always naturally tended to be liberal,” said Sean Jahan, a fourth-year graduate student. “I think it was more personality-driven than learned, although for most people it’s more nurture than nature. For me it was more nature.”
Overall, students tended to support President Barack Obama, confirming exit poll statistics from the 2008 election that showed 66 percent of 18-29-year-olds voting for the Democratic ticket.
“I wish health care reform was going through more quickly,” Venkat said, referring to the sentiment among some voters that the President is not enacting change fast enough. “But I can understand why it isn’t. There’s a lot of opposition. I honestly think it’s too early to judge him.”
Jahan said that political views were mostly set from an early age, and didn’t believe that subsequent life events in most cases had a major impact on them. “I don’t think that entering the workforce or starting a family really alters how you feel,” he said. “Most of my friends have the same political beliefs now that they did in college.”
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
Citing what he called “the worst economic downturn since at least 1982,” George Mason University economics Professor Bryan Caplan said that Republican candidates would likely have a slight advantage over Democratic and Independent candidates going into the 2009 state elections. This is good news for Bob McDonnell (R) and could help explain why Creigh Deeds (D) is trailing in the polls.
“Polls are showing McDonnell leading Deeds in the polls,” Caplan said. “And nationally, Independents are leaning towards Republicans. At first, there was an attitude that [George W.] Bush was president when the crisis began and so it was his fault, but more recently there’s been the feeling that these two presidents share equal blame, that while Bush’s policies may have caused the meltdown, Obama’s have prolonged it.”
Caplan was critical of President Barak Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package, which he says has “done nothing.”
“The stimulus doesn’t actually increase spending,” he said.
Caplan argued that because much of the nearly $800 billion for the stimulus came from government bonds, the majority of which are held by the American people, the federal government was marshalling resources that individuals would otherwise have spent on their own.
“They’re trying to duplicate the effects of the private market,” Caplan said, “and if they do that successfully, then it’s not harmful—it’s useless, but it’s not harmful. Government doesn’t work that way, though; they spend money on stupid things, on things that don’t make sense, things that most people couldn’t explain. They don’t do as good a job as the market would do on its own. In fact, some economists believe that the stimulus has actually made the situation worse.”
Caplan noted that the 2008-2009 downturn was unique among modern recessions because of the presence of deflation. Typically, he said, the U.S. economy experiences two to three percent annual inflation, but has recently undergone 1.4 percent deflation.
The cause, Caplan hypothesized, was most likely individuals hoarding their money. When people do not spent as much, demand for products goes down, prices are lowered, and, in effect, a dollar becomes worth more.
For these reasons, Caplan said, the solution to unemployment was to cut wages.
“Excessive wages are the cause of unemployment,” said Caplan. “If there’s two percent deflation, you’ve just effectively gotten a two-percent pay raise. That also means that if your employer cuts wages by two percent, you haven’t really lost money, but workers don’t see it that way. What’s easier to deal with, though: losing two percent in wages or losing your job? What’s going to be harder on a family?”
Caplan said that the federal government could take several basic steps to put the nation on the road to economic recovery, such as cutting payroll taxes for employers and halting the Federal Reserve’s payment of interest on bank reserves, which he said encouraged banks to hold their money rather than loan it.
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
George Mason University women have reacted negatively to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell penning a 1989 thesis in which he criticized feminists and homosexuals and said that women who worked outside the home were “detrimental to society.”
McDonnell has dismissed the thesis as an “academic paper” and said that his views have changed, but not everyone is buying it.
“As a scholar of comparative social policy, his prescriptions regarding women and the workplace are just dreadful,” said Mariely Lopez-Santana, a professor with the George Mason University Public and International Affairs Department. “He argues that he has changed positions, but letting your wife work and having women in your staff is, in my opinion, not a change—he is just reacting to the needs of our times and to his political ambitions.”
Others agreed.
“I feel that this thesis is very detrimental to all women,” said senior Katherine Papadopoulos. “Particularly the statement that complained about women working outside the home. Women who need to work in order to provide for their households should be commended for their work ethic and commitment to their families.”
Freshman Marlene Meza expressed confusion at McDonnell’s ideas.
“I don’t understand how that makes sense,” she said. “It’s the 21st century and we have equal gender rights. Calling women who have multiple roles ‘detrimental to society’ goes against American values.”
Both Meza and Papadopoulos said that, though they disagreed with the thesis, it was dated and would not affect their decision with regard to the election.
Lopez-Santana thought that the scandal would have an impact on the election.
“For those who did not have any information about him or who weren’t going to vote, this controversy will lead them to the polls—whether to vote for him or against him,” she said. “This is certainly relevant if we take into account the fact that voter turnout tends to be lower at the state level than in federal elections.”
By Mason Votes Director Christian Smith
Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 10:12 a.m.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” said Thorbjørn Jagland, chairman of the committee in a speech early this morning. “Obama has, as president, created a new international climate…dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments in solving even the most difficult conflicts.”
Jagland praised the president’s “vision of a world free from nuclear arms.”
Republicans have reacted negatively to the news. Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement, “the real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’ It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain – President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.”
According to Politico.com, Rush Limbaugh sent an email stating, “This fully exposes the illusion that is Barack Obama. And with this ‘award’ the elites of the world are urging Obama, THE MAN OF PEACE, to not do the surge in Afghanistan, not take action against Iran and its nuclear program and to basically continue his intentions to emasculate the United States.”
Obama is only the third sitting president to be awarded the Peace Prize. President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson won in 1906 and 1919 respectively.
Obama was originally slated to make a statement at 10:15, but it has been rescheduled several times. The press is now awaiting his arrival in the Rose Garden. It will be streamed live on the White House website.
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
Republican attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli and Democratic attorney general candidate Steve Shannon disagreed on economic issues during their Wednesday debate at George Mason University’s Prince William campus, with much of the divergence of views relating to job creation.
Cuccinelli called Virginia’s right-to-work laws, which prohibit compulsory union membership as a condition of employment, critical, and said he would defend them vigorously if elected attorney general.
“The government shouldn’t be creating jobs, it should be creating opportunities,” he said. “We need to reduce regulations and strip out those that don’t provide more of a benefit than a cost. I do not favor collective bargaining. I have a zero percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. My opponent has a 100 percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. That’s a job-killing record.”
Shannon responded that union members were hard-working individuals who deserved the right to work together for better wages and workplace conditions.
Both candidates said that the threat of gang violence is one of the most serious that faces the state.
Shannon stressed his courtroom experience as a Fairfax County prosecutor and stated that he would be ready to tackle hard issues, such as the proliferation of child pornography, the rise in violent crime, drunk driving, increased gang activity within the state and the growing prevalence of prescription drug abuse.
“I will not need on-the-job training to handle this position,” Shannon said. “I’ve actually sat in a court room with gang members sitting behind me as I argued a case against one of their own. I’ve had the sheriffs escorting me to and from the courtroom, checking under my jeep to see if there’s a car bomb there. I’ve presented the photographs of children who were beaten to death by members of MS 13. I’ve been through that.”
Shannon continued saying that nearly 20,000 computers in the state were being used to traffic in child pornography and that more resources were needed to crack down on sexual predators.
Cuccinelli denied that prosecutorial experience was necessary to execute the duties of attorney general, and responded that he had comprehensive plans to deal with many of the problems facing Virginia.
With regard to gang violence, Cuccinelli praised the efforts of Shenandoah Valley authorities, who appointed one person to coordinate anti-gang efforts across jurisdictional lines, suggesting that similar programs implemented in other parts of the state could also be effective.
Both agreed on the need to combat drunk driving and on defending Virginians’ Second Amendment right to bear arms.
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
The College Democrats and College Republicans are readying for Virginia’s November 3 election with a spate of campaign events and public outreach.
Pakiza Nasher, president of the College Democrats called the election “the most important thing on our agenda for the 2009-2010 school year.”
Both clubs plan to pursue a policy of aggressive visibility at George Mason, with both regularly canvassing and the College Republicans operating a kiosk in the Johnson Center from 11:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. on Election Day reminding people to vote.
“We want to have a massive presence on campus,” said Amanda Johnson, chairman of the George Mason University College Republicans. “It was so sad on election day ’08, because there were all these Obama people all over school, and no one for McCain. This time, I want to make sure we do that.”
For both sides, the stakes are high. “The results of the election and the voter turn out will reflect whether the College Democrats reached out to the Mason community and put forth all our effort for the canvassing,” Nasher said.
“The current political climate has definitely caused people to be more assertive,” Johnson said. “The Republicans fell asleep during the ’08 campaign and were complacent. The Democrats kind of attacked and really showed us that they were coming with their teeth bared. The Republicans weren’t ready. There’s increased awareness that both sides have to be ready to defend their beliefs. People, now more than ever, are voicing that.”
College Democrats and College Republicans have also hosted and plan to host guest speakers, among them state candidates for office such as Republican attorney general contender Ken Cuccinelli, who spoke at the College Republicans meeting last Tuesday night.
By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan
Republican attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli appeared at last night’s meeting of the George Mason University College Republicans and urged Virginia voters to stand behind him on the issue of mental health reform.
“This isn’t just a personal safety issue for these [mentally ill] individuals,” Cuccinelli said. “It’s a public safety issue. Some of these people are being victimized because they’re vulnerable. Often they suffer from petty crime.”
Cucinelli advocated what he called a “step-down” process, wherein doctors would have more authority to move mentally ill patients from in-patient to out-patient treatment.
“I worked as a court-appointed attorney in mental health hearings,” Cucinelli said. “It’s a slow, cumbersome process. If a patient in a detention order proceeding is found to be mentally ill, they can be held on an in-patient basis, or an out-patient basis. The doctor can’t move them from in-patient to out-patient without another hearing, and we should give doctors that kind of authority to move patients to a less restrictive kind of care. It would be more cost-effective, and it would have an enormous impact in giving more opportunity to patients.”
Cuccinelli also called for changes in the way the mentally ill are dealt with in the prison system, which he said “amounts to a mental facility of last resort.”
“I don’t want to minimize their culpability,” Cuccinelli said. “But there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be in jail in the first place if it weren’t for their mental health issues. We need to change the statutes we have and get these folks treatment that is more appropriate. Deputies aren’t trained to deal with mental health issues, so they resort to things like imposed isolation to handle it, and that’s a problem. We need to deal with these people in a way that’s more humane and more effective.”
Cuccinelli also called for a vigorous defense of Virginia’s right-to-work status, which he alleged is threatened by Democrats in Congress. He said that as attorney general, he would bring legal challenge to any attempts by the national government to infringe upon what he called a “sovereign right.”
The attorney general candidate credited right-to-work laws for heavily contributing to Virginia’s economic prosperity in recent years and said they have given it “an advantage economically over our sister states.”
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The debate scheduled for tonight at George Mason University between lieutenant gubernatorial candidates Bill Bolling (R) and Jody Wagner (D) has been canceled.
After Bolling pulled out from the debate on Sunday, Wagner had stated that she would still attend the event. The organizers, however, which included Mason and the Prince William Committee of 100, decided to cancel it altogether.
Click here to read more about why Bolling withdrew.