“You should read my early coverage of bear hunting. It was awesome.” Let that sink in for a moment. Two chairs sat on the State Theatre Stage, separated by a small table holding two coffee mugs. But no, James Lipton and Inside the Actor’s Studio were not making a guest appearance. The stage was set for Ben Feller, the chief White House correspondent for the Associated Press and owner of the above quote, to own the night.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Miron, Economics professor at Harvard University, spoke about the legalization of drugs in America at the Willard building last night. Miron advocates drug legalization and has been researching it for 15 years.
The United States spends $41 billion each year on prohibition enforcement and forgoes $47 billion in tax dollars. Drug arrests account for 13 percent of all arrests. Miron proposes that the government legalize all drugs and tax them just like an everyday commodity.
Miron argued that drug laws in America are ineffective and that only harm comes from prohibition. Underground markets can’t use the legal system to solve disputes, therefore they resort to violence. Not to mention underground societies don’t exactly pay their taxes.
Presidential candidate David Adewumi had a good point when he said that most of the student body wasn't attending last night's debate, and that the majority of people who were had already made up their minds as to who they were voting for. And he was right: clearly divided sections of supporters indicated their choice by the brightly-colored shirts they wore.
There are 6 ‘At Large Representative’ positions open to full-time undergraduate students who attend University Park and live on-campus. This year, 12 students are competing. Find out more about them after the jump!
There are 7 ‘On-Campus Representative’ positions open to full-time undergraduate students who attend University Park and live on-campus. This year, 10 students are competing.
Check out our guide to this year's on-campus representative candidates after the jump!
Each of Penn State's 13 academic colleges and the Schreyer Honors College is able to elect a representative for the UPUA. Some of the races are uncontested, but there are a few match-ups. Check out details about the candidates after the jump.