Controversial scholar worth student attention
· Nationally influential and politically polarizing speakers do not appear on campus to talk to undergrads every day. But today, thanks to the efforts of the Baker Institute Student Forum, students have the opportunity to interact with one of the minds behind one of the government's most controversial recent policies. A panel featuring former Bush Administration Justice Department official John Yoo begins at today 4 p.m. in Baker Hall. BISF should be praised for landing a big name speaker from across the country just days before the election. We just hope students make the most of it.
Off-campus housing helps grads and undergrads
· Rice's recent purchase of additional property for graduate housing is commendable. (See story, page 7.) We are happy to see that the university is taking an interest in the quality of life of its graduate population, and we hope the project continues as well as it has begun.
Vote Tuesday and reverse apathetic trend
· In last November's election, Rice students put the "pathetic" in "apathetic." A mere 263 of about 1400 students registered to vote at the Rice Memorial Center showed up to the booths. That 19 percent turnout rate was only one point higher than Harris County's 18 percent.
Libertarianism puts personal freedom first
· When I first became politically aware, I identified as a Democrat because I was -- and still am -- socially liberal. However, as I gained more knowledge of how the government implements policy, I began to realize the Democratic Party's system was flawed. The basis for this feeling is purely economic: whenever government departments are the sole distributor of services to the people, it creates a monopoly in which politicians are robber barons and we, the people, are screwed.