In case you missed it, the Young Americans for Liberty, at UCI, hosted a candidate’s debate this month, on May 17, featuring the candidates for the 70th Assembly District. Several of them did show up.
Debbie Tharp, the Libertarian candidate for the 70th A.D., is a student at UCI. She helped put together the event and she took the time to thank the candidates, in the letter below.
I think it is great to see UCI students getting involved in p0litics. These are troubled times and we need our students to be actively involved in fixing the problems we are seeing at every level of government.
Here is Tharp’s letter to the 70th A.D. candidates:
Dear Melissa Fox, Mike Glover, Steven Choi, and Don Wagner,
As our election date draws nearer, I wanted to thank all of you again for participating in our forum at UCI. My favorite moment was when I got to ask the students in the audience who is more concerned about the cost of their education going up and who is more concerned about the quality going down. This question demonstrates my reason for becoming involved in one of the most contested races in California with such formidable candidates as yourselves. The almost unanimous answer of the students, which was that most of them are concerned about quality did not surprise me in the least. The focus on the increased cost of our education has been largely on just that, the cost, missing the most important concern of our students, which is that they:
1. won’t be able to get the classes that they need because of budget cuts,
2. won’t be able to pay for graduate school because of decreased lending and
3. won’t be able to get a job when they finally do graduate.
Our students are beginning to recognize that they are the heartbeat of this district and that they are this district’s most powerful political force. My hope is that you will continue to include the voice of UCI’s student population with the constituents of the 70th Assembly district as this race goes forward and address the true concerns behind our state’s budget cuts.
I have heard both good and bad comments about all of the candidates following the forum, including myself. One of the most positive comments that I have heard to date is that the five candidates who chose to participate in UCI’s forum demonstrated their concern for our school by taking the opportunity to hear what the students have to say. I would like to agree with this sentiment whole heatedly, along with my sincere hopes that you all do well in the upcoming primaries.
Sincerely,
Debbie Tharp
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