LETTER: Questions for George Ross about Paul Begala
Dear President Ross:
Why do you allow the College of Humanities and Social And Behavioral Sciences to spend probably several thousands of dollars bringing a liberal Democratic Party strategist pro Obama super PAC adviser Paul Begala to campus prior to a close election and rev up the students to vote for Obama but not give equal time and the same funding dollars bringing a conservative Republican Party strategist to campus to campaign for Romney?
Is it fair for a taxpayer-supported tax-exempt Michigan public school to bring in the Democrats but not the Republicans?
Why can’t you bring in Karl Rove or Michelle Malkin, Bill O’Rielly, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Mike Huckabee, Ari Fleischer, Tucker Carlson, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Mike Gallagher, Monica Crowley, Dick Morris, Mark Steyn, Laura Ingraham, Neal Boortz, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved or Rich Lowry – a conservative to counter Begala?
Top universities such as Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government bring in a diversity of speakers - liberal, moderate and conservative. Notre Dame on October 12 is featuring liberal Ted Koppel and conservative George Will. Great universities believe in diversity of opinion. Maybe that’s why CMU ranks in the bottom tier these days. Checkout the US News and World Report on Western Michigan’s homepage which lists MSU, UM, Michigan Tech and Western in the top 75 percent of national universities. WMU points out how we’re in the unranked lower tier these days. Pretty sad!
It’s time CMU plays fair. You should quickly find a speaker (I supplied you with names_ for a comparable price tag and deduct it from the Political Science Department’s budget. Or, you could easily get a Michigan congressman, John Engler, Pete Hoekstra, a Romney family member or Governor Snyder for equal time. If you want to fill McGuirk Arena, then call Republicans Kid Rock or Ted Nugent.
I’ve got enough confidence in CMU students that they can make an intelligent decision when hearing all sides of any issue. You and your departments apparently don’t.
Incidentally, if anyone wants to know which CMU employees and how many dollars they have contributed to Obama, Stabenow, Gary Peters or the DNC since 2008, then visit opensecrets.org.
If CMU isn’t fair to both parties for this important election, then the Legislature should consider slashing CMU’s appropriations and CMU Republican Alumni should quit donating until we get fair treatment prior to elections. Michigan taxpayers deserve better. Our American democracy deserves better at CMU.
Corey Ruzicka
CMU and CM LIFE Alum
