I personally think any effort to view access to education as a human rights issue (as the UN explicitly does, as the general public does, as the general public views access to health care) as a step in the right direction. I was disgusted by the apathy demonstrated by the student council at today’s meeting–voting to end debate on Blake’s motion was quite frankly cowardly. We saw one person today break down in tears because she can no longer afford to go to UBC, but discussion of this issue ended before it began. How can you claim to represent the concerns of the students if you vote to not discuss the issue of tuition? Passing it to committee when a large portion of the crowd was there to address this concern was simply using bureaucratic politics to defend the status quo. Never mind the millions who would do anything to attend a university of this caliber, but the very students attending are not being spoken for. The council should be ashamed for putting petty politics over issues of profound importance. And to those who laughed at that obnoxious UN joke (although it was funny, I’ll admit), I hope you don’t embrace that misguided and narrow-minded understanding of human rights and the role of the UN.

Am I in favour of free education?
Of course. I would love free education.

Do I want to see an increase in my taxes?
I’m perfectly fine with that. I really don’t mind taxes because I see the benefit they do.

Do I share views with the majority of Canadians?
No. And understanding this, I understand that I will be paying for my education up front instead of over time.

Access to education is minimal. I cannot tell the whole population of Canada to go to school. Some people just don’t jive with the education system. The issues being faced by First Nation peoples are much more deep rooted than the cost of tuition, and that the Downtown Eastside has little or nothing to do with rising tuition fees. Literacy is a goal on the Eastside, and an astoundingly difficult one at that, despite the social services available to residents. It may even be argued that funding for research and post-secondary education would be better utilized in social support systems across Canada.

Your blatant ignorance of basic economic principles and social issues is not uncommon from either the liberal or conservative contingent. Understand that issues such as poverty and education are much more complex that simple “for and against” politics that we are culturally infused with.

So technically it wasn’t a misappropriation of funds, as they didn’t go against any rules, however the whole issue in and of itself is a big bucket of fail.

This a priceless little nugget that’s being glossed over entirely here, considering that, only last year, Mona Maghsoodi, as president of the Graduate Student Society, made an executive decision (with only a handful of like-minded GSS execs) to withhold the now infamous 2008-2009 Graduate Handbook because she personally disagreed with its content – fully prepared to spend thousands of student dollars for a censored reprint. An action for which, even by the majority of councilors who themselves disagreed with said content, she was rightfully chastised, but not impeached. Now, she suddenly appears to have so great problem with student executives making what should obviously be voting decisions behind closed doors that she even wants the middlemen fired for it. I’ll leave the outraged cries of hypocrisy to someone less jaded, but the obviousness of the fact that this is not about procedure, but about only politics, that it is alright if a center-right exec does it, but disdainful when it’s a naive leftist wanna-be radical, is too hilarious to not point out.