Ryan ChartrandAfter I read Matt Tarlecki’s letter, “You don’t win with salad,” I had to wonder if Tarlecki was completely oblivious to the other two presidential campaigns, or if he just wanted to rip on Arvand Sabetian.
Did not hundreds of people don orange and white shirts alongside those who wore brown ones? Did not both Matt Taylor and Brandon Souza give away food on Dexter Lawn? I believe Souza and his campaign team also gave free sober rides on the weekend before the election. Tarlecki claims Sabetian tries to “get votes by free give-aways and not addressing real issues.”
Tarlecki has a skewed perception. The real bone of contention in this situation is that all of these candidates have to overshadow their real campaigns with such superficial incentives just to get people to listen (most don’t even do that; rather, they take the free item greedily). The presidential candidates all had legitimate and sincere issues, but the students here, and people in general, are so disconcertingly apathetic, even when the outcome affects them, that it takes quite creative efforts just to turn their ears to listen.
When I asked my fellow students who they’d vote for, far too many responded that they didn’t know anything about the candidates, or that they didn’t care who won. I can’t even decide which answer frustrates me more. If we don’t take the time to give a damn, who will?
Emily Doris
Civil engineering senior