Dear Editor

In the March 28 article about Rick Snyder’s budget cuts, I found Vince Ponazzo’s insight on the realization of the budget cut issue to be both intellectually insulting and fallacious. To state that “these attacks on our rights are not just against us, it’s against every kind of oppressed group – women, racial minorities, the LGBT community, those living in poverty,” is to believe that Grand Valley Lanthorn readers are ill informed enough to fall for such a fallacious comparison of two un-concerning topics. The government cutting the overall budget is not an attack on oppressed groups. Also, is Vince implying that there is a difference between “us” and those in the “oppressed group”? If so, I would be interested to know who “us” is, and why “us” should be categorized separately from “every kind of oppressed group”. Not only that, but in what way are budget cuts “attacks on our rights”? Even though I am assuming that Vince Ponazzo was happy to make such claims to gain name recognition for his upcoming chance at a student senate seat, I question how he would handle cutting budgets in turn for those student groups who may fall under the “oppressed” categories, when there is just not enough allocated money to go around. I, in no way, feel comforted by cutting the education budget, but I am willing to wait and see all of Rick Snyder’s plans on budget cuts before condemning him for taking on a hard and controversial task. When the money is not there, where do you suggest we get it from? Maybe you thought your parents were lying when they said “money doesn’t grow on trees you know.”

Nicholas VanKlompenberg