I am writing in response to a letter written by Michael K. Murvihill in the Jan. 31 Northern Star. This letter was a weak attempt to justify President Bush’s $25 million inauguration. Mr. Murvihill’s letter is a classic case of blind faith in a political party. I am not saying that affiliation with a party is wrong, but to believe that everything a party (or party leader) does is right or justifiable is naive. A simple examination of Mr. Murvihill’s argument will prove this.

First, he claims that President Bush earned a $25 million inauguration due to his high office. If this it true, how come none of the previous presidents have spent that much? Did they deserve the office less than George Bush?

He then claims that if we were so concerned about the deficit and budget, we should have elected a Republican congress. Grow up, Mr. Murvihill, do you really think a Republican congress would act much different than a Democratic one? Apparently, the Democrats are doing something right since a congress led by Republicans hasn’t existed for years.

Then Mr. Murvihill has the audacity to claim that we college students and our parents aren’t doing our part to reduce the budget. What planet do you come from, Mr. Murvihill? There must not be a Board of Regents there. He tells us to work additional hours, and have our parents use the money saved from tax write-offs and loopholes to pay for our education. Personally speaking, I worked 10 to 12 hours a day over the summer to help pay for school. My parents need every tax break they can get to help pay for my education, as well as that of two of my sisters. I know many students have similar situations, so don’t tell us to sacrifice. We already are. But thanks to the Board of Regents and NIU, this sacrifice is becoming too much. Perhaps if government would allocate more money to education (and not areas such as defense), we could handle this burden. Mr. Murvihill, why don’t you go ask Jim Thompson about sacrifice? He looks like he is hurting for money, yet Illinois spends less on education than most other states.

“We are not willing to adopt the thrifty, self-sacrificing, altruistic characteristics needed to support policies necessary for balancing the budget and building for the future,” Mr. Murvihill states. Maybe if a president spent a mere $6 million on his inauguration (surely a thrifty amount) we would have an example to look up to. Maybe if politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) spent millions on education or the environment and not on themselves and those wonderful products for a peaceful future such as stealth bombers and SDI. Take off your blinders, Mr. Murvihill, and see the truth. If politicians adopted thrifty, self-sacrificing, and altruistic policies, perhaps it would rub off on US. Certainly George Bush and his bullet-proof vest (Dan Quayle) haven’t set a good example. Hopefully in the next four years they will.

Thomas V. Aston

junior

political science/international relations