The Clock Responds to House Bill 176

"To The States, or any one of them, or any city of The States, Resist much, obey little;

 Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved; 

 Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty."

– Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Plymouth State University stands at ground zero for our nations' growing tolerance for injustice, and The Clock, in conjunction with our Student Senate, hereby stands to fight the movement to pass House Bill 176.

The bill, if executed, effectively revokes the right to vote from every out of state student attending college within New Hampshire's borders. In doing so, New Hampshire would become the first state in the Union to pass such extreme voter disenfranchisement. The sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Gregory Sorg from Grafton County, has gained support from New Hampshire's Speaker of the House, William O'Brien. In an interview with New Hampshire's Union Leader, Speaker O'Brien said, "I look at towns like Plymouth and Keene and Hanover, and particularly Plymouth. They've lost the ability to govern themselves."

Speaker O'Brien went on to candidly say, "That's what kids do. They don't have life experience and they just vote their feelings. And they've taken away the town's ability to govern themselves. It's not fair."

Students of Plymouth State and fellow citizens of this fine country, liberals and conservatives alike; recognize modern tyranny when it bleeds from the ink of this newspaper. We will not stand for such gross misrepresentations of democracy. Speaker O'Brien, we are offended by your comments and dismissal of our equal right to vote, and if your reasons for passing this bill are to insure votes without "feelings" or "experience", you may find that your high horse of authority may also carry the fleas of an unconstitutional existence.

Democracy does not work through removing your opposition's longtime right to vote. You refuse to acknowledge our invested interest in the state school we attend and pay our tuition to. Speaker O'Brien, you fail to recognize our occupation as students and our acknowledgment by the federal census that puts tax dollars in your hand. The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census qualifies a resident as those who, "Live or stay at the residence most of the time; OR Stayed there on April 1, 2010 and had no permanent place to live; OR Stay at the residence more time than any other place they might live or stay." We are counted in the census, Speaker O'Brien, therefore we merit a say in the taxes the state receives from them.

While your concern over elected town officials is valid, there are far more pragmatic methods for addressing that issue.

Speaker O'Brien, how dare you accuse us of lacking "life experiences"? Our generation has grown up as witnesses to some of our nations' most trying events. I hail from a New York City suburb that lost fathers to 9/11. My generation has witnessed the second worst economic collapse in United States history affect the tuition we pay the state. We have seen our peers enter a jobless environment with only the burdens of college debt. But I have also witnessed my own father, one who suffered a stroke and was eventually thrown off of health insurance, suddenly come back into coverage. I vote because I love what the United States capably represents, and I will do anything to see our colors shine more vividly.

I also vote with the knowledge of what my state education has provided me with. I vote for the dwindling New Hampshire lumber industry, one that I had to tirelessly research for my Advanced Composition class. I also must balance that vote with my acquired love for the White Mountains, and have grown to understand that protecting New Hampshire's environment is something that cannot be ignored.

Nonetheless, Speaker O'Brien, you are correct to say that we vote with feeling. More specifically, we vote with passion. The United States of America would be nothing without feelings behind our votes: blood rushes to our face as we slam down the lever to bring our troops back, sweat drips from our brows as we feel our vote effect our impending job market, and our youthful ability to dream of a more fruitful United States motivates us to BE the change behind our vote and within our community. Speaker O'Brien: your inability to dream scares us.           

 House Bill 176 represents a politically strategic move that would ultimately result in fewer votes and more ballots for "emotionless" objectives. Let's focus on legislation that addresses the issues and not the elections.

On behalf of Bill 176 and for what New Hampshire once stood for: "LIVE FREE OR DIE."

Charles Parker Allen, on behalf of The Clock