What do the former planet Pluto, New Mexico lawmakers and the Associated Students Inc. Senate have in common?
Give up? They’re all space cadets, and it’s embarrassing. Here’s why.
According to an article in the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s humorous “Say What?” section, “A nonbinding memorial approved this week by the [New Mexico] state House of Representatives declares that Pluto be designated a planet whenever it ‘passes overhead through New Mexico’s excellent night skies.'”
What are probably “excellent night skies” aside, this amazingly idiotic piece of work from elected officials in a state that dubs itself “The Land of Enchantment” is hardly enchanting. The fact that taxpayers in an otherwise beautiful state are paying for such nonsense, unfortunately, rings a few bells for us back here at The Beach.
We, too, at an otherwise beautiful campus, are paying our student fees toward baloney that seems to churn out weekly from the ASI senate.
In case you need the definition of space cadet, here’s something to get you started from UrbanDictionary.com: A space cadet “displays complete disregard for common sense…[and] is not necessarily referring to a person of low intelligence or a heavy drug user, but rather a person who typically focuses on all aspects of life except the one currently at hand.”
Our definition would like to add that space cadets are “out to lunch” and are basically somewhere else that’s probably closer to Neptune, like Pluto is on occasion.
And while we can currently only offer this one instance of New Mexico lawmaker foolishness, we can offer several instances of ASI follies just from this single academic year.
To quote the Daily Forty-Niner sports desk, here’s a Beach Roundup of ASI Senate news: a proposed mid-day activity hour (as if class wasn’t active enough); “dead week” (dead idea); taking up valuable Senate time to discuss how great homecoming will be (did its greatness come home this year?); how many ASI positions aren’t filled yet, who did fill them, why some still aren’t filled (captivating?); how the Senate Chambers has a new name (equally captivating?); how the bylaws are unchanged, how the bylaws were then changed (all things change, we guess); and the problems of having the words “gold and brown” in our beloved alma mater (alma unworthy?).
All this sounds like the ASI Senate, thus far, hasn’t been as hard-hitting as the Dirtbags’ winning games over at Blair Field.
But to be quite honest, and quite fair, the ASI senators mean well, and they probably try to think about what’s best for students (while also padding their résumés). But it appears that while their hearts are in the right places, their minds are not. And that’s unfortunate for everyone.
We at the Daily Forty-Niner, and all students on this campus, have a right to be upset. It’s about time someone says something and makes them accountable as the public officials they are, whether they realize it or not.
It’s also about time that the people running for ASI stop making campaign promises that they have no power to enforce – like tuition, textbook prices, graduation rates and, believe it or not, student involvement, to name a few.
Perhaps we’re being pessimistic, but when we feel ASI (and its corresponding senate) is wasting its budget, which is in the millions of dollars – yes, millions – we start talking, because money talks. And millions is a lot of money.
Therefore, we urge the following: ASI Senate, get it together and actually do something; New Mexico legislators, get it together and do something more meaningful next time; Pluto, keep on cosmically truckin’, little guy.
