Letter to the Editor:
Hold MSA accountable for votes on surveillance
Published March 12, 2010
The MSA Senate elections begin on March 22nd and end on March 24th. I would ask that readers keep that fact in mind as they read the following.
On Wednesday, March 10, 2010 the MSA Senate passed a bill stating its support for Proposition 1 on the upcoming local elections. The proposition would allow the Columbia Police Department to place surveillance cameras in various places in The District (downtown Columbia). There are a lot of arguments for and against this proposition and many of them were heard on Wednesday night before the vote was taken. What was not heard however, was the voice of the students.
The Senators first saw the resolution that was passed Tuesday evening and therefore Senators had approximately 24 hours to make up our minds on the matter. During that time a number of things aided each Senator in deciding how to vote. Included in these factors were the views of a handful of outside witnesses who came and delivered testimonies on the issue. Some of the arguments delivered on both sides from these parties were predicated on empirical fact, and some was predicated on emotional rhetoric.
What is notable is that some of the factors that were NOT included in the decision of the Senate were the views of their constituents and the kinds of conclusions that can only be arrived at through open-minded independent research.
As a student of the University of Missouri you ARE represented. You DO have a voice and that voice should be made known and taken into consideration on contentious issues such as Proposition 1. Regardless of how you feel about the measure itself, if you have something to say on the issue, it is not too late to hold your representatives accountable. There will be list of Senators as well as their votes on the resolution passed by Senate on www.msasenate.com. I encourage all of you to look at this list, compare the names on it to the ones on your ballot when you vote in two weeks. Contact your Senators. If you are unsure who they are, as Senate speaker I'd be happy to point you in the proper direction. Find out how your Senators voted. If you do not agree with them, let them know. Ask them if they voted for or against my motion to put off voting so that research could be done and so that constituents could be contacted. Hold your Senators accountable and demand that they speak for you.
