Party chair of Utah Democrats visits USU
More USU students should get involved in the public arena, even if that requires running for office themselves, according to Utah Democratic Party Chairman Jim Dabakis.
“Students are prepared,” Dabakis said. “They are every bit as a qualified to hold public office as any of the members of the state Legislature.”
USU’s College Democrats co-sponsored, with the Utah Federation of College Democrats, the Tuesday luncheon where Dabakis made these and other comments to those in attendance.
With a Republican governor and Republican majorities in both houses of Utah’s Legislature, Dabakis said he remains ambitious regarding his party’s prospects to win seats in the 2012 Utah elections.
“I want to win it all next year — the Governor’s mansion, the state House and Senate, the U.S. Senate seat — everything,” Dabakis said. “We have got to break that stranglehold of negative perception toward Democrats in the state, so we can show Democrats are the kind of people that can solve problems in a common-sense way.”
Dabakis shared views and experiences on a variety of topics affecting university students, including higher-education funding, challenges regarding the perception of the Democratic Party in Utah and the redistricting process that was recently completed.
“Not one Utah citizen was given the right to see the final map with the new congressional districts before it was passed and voted on, and the Republicans were proud of it,” Dabakis said. “Even after the dog-and-pony show, they put on of traveling around the state and spending taxpayer money on mapping software to get community input that they didn’t use. It’s that kind of gerrymandering that disenfranchises voters”.
Claire Ahlstrom, a senior majoring in international studies, was in attendance and said she agreed with the notion that Republicans and Democrats are not equals.
“I just see a real lack of balance,” she said. “It’s not even as if the Democrats are trying to pass some radical policies, it’s just a matter of there being some kind of even representation for both parties in the state.”
Dabakis said he realizes the great importance higher education plays in society.
“The crown jewel of our country’s way of life and competitiveness is our higher education system; the Europeans haven’t found a way to replicate it,” Dabakis said. “And the more opponents of public funding for that system who are elected and cut those funds are just slashing our future.”
Ahlstrom said she notices less courses offered, and staff and faculty positions unfilled, which are consequences of multiple budget cuts passed by state Legislature.
“The future of the United States really depends on our higher-education institutions,” Shashank Chauhan, vice president of the USU College Democrats, said. “Even in a bad economy, state legislatures who cut these funds are harming the basic engine that drives the United States. In a sense, we’re compromising our future.”
The Utah Democratic Party hosted the luncheon to reach out to college voters and help them realize how to take part in issues that affect them, said USU College Democrat President Laura Anderson, a senior studying law and constitutional studies.
“Jim (Dabakis) has been putting forth the effort lately to speak at all the colleges in the state,” Anderson said. “It was a really good turnout, and I love seeing students get more involved politically.”
Dabakis, in addition to encouraging students to be informed on issues and vote, said he wanted to stress the importance of contacting representatives.
“You would be shocked what one email means to a legislator, especially if they know you live in their district,” he said.
The USU College Democrats aim to underscore this sentiment.
“Even if you feel these issues don’t affect you, they will in the future, even though we are in college now, we will all have to face the economy and the real world sometime,” Chauhan said.
– timothyjbarber@gmail.com