Letter to the Editor: Donald Hopkins

Dear editor,

These are tough economic times for all Americans, but few have been hit harder than the Republicans. Bush’s tax cuts for the rich and no-bid contracts for Halliburton are now a thing of the past. Our neighborhood mom-and-pop insurance conglomerates will no longer have the liberty to drop people who get sick. Oil companies will no longer be able to pump greenhouse gasses into the air without penalty. Yes, these are tough times for supporters of the Republican Party.

On Oct. 13, Barry Scatton, President of Temple College Republicans, wrote a letter to the editor expressing his concerns about the proposed “Green Fee.” If this fee passes, each Temple student will have to pay $5 into a fund that will make Temple more environmentally sustainable. It sounds reasonable enough, but we can’t forget what tough times these are for Republicans, now that they won’t be able to deny insurance coverage to pregnant women.

So, Temple Democratic Socialists is offering to compensate each registered member of Temple College Republicans for the $5 they’ll pay for the Green Fee. Since we are new organization, and we are still becoming registered, we do not yet have any allocations from Student Activities, so this will come out of our own pockets. We know it’s tough, but, as democratic socialists, we believe in looking out for those who are least well-off. Now that liberals are in power, the Republican Party’s corporate supporters are facing more regulation of their reckless conduct, and the top income bracket might even face higher taxes. We just want to do our part to ease the pain.

Donald Hopkins
President Temple Democratic Socialists