The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

Green Party gubernatorial candidate visits campus

Matthew Resenhoeft

The Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate for the Green Party, Jim Young, visited Eau Claire Tuesday night to discuss why he is running for governor, what the Green Party is about and his campaign platform.

Young stressed the idea of equality, as he sat in a circle of chairs at the same level as the audience. He talked about his upbringing in Waukesha and how he got involved in the community while in college at UW-Milwaukee. Young said he was a member of Witness of Nonviolence of Wisconsin. As he became more active in the community, he began to get involved politically.

Young described to the crowd of 40 to 50 students in the Menominee Room how the Green Party is modeled after the Green Party in Europe and what is important to the Green Party.

“We focus on things that aren’t just environmental, we focus on things that are community-based,” he said.

Story continues below advertisement

He focused on several main issues in his platform. Young talked about the importance of human and social rights and how people need to be more aware of them.

“Often times we don’t see what’s going on around us,” he said.

He discussed education, saying that standardized testing isn’t the way to measure a person’s intelligence. He said he doesn’t agree with Gov. Scott McCallum’s budget proposal.

“We’ve got to have more people that have access to loans,” Young said.

The current interest rate for student loans is too high and should be lowered, he said.

Young stressed the importance of democratic reform.

“When we have a winner-take-all situation, most of the voters aren’t represented by the winner,” he said.

A state of balance and ecological integrity are also part of Young’s platform. He focused on the food and water supply, saying that what is on the market now is very scary to him.

When Young opened the discussion to questions, the idea of reforming drug laws was brought up. He said there should be reform with the marijuana laws.

“I don’t think people should go to jail for (using marijuana),” he said.

He said that the government should focus its drug war on destructive drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamines. He said the United States is importing marijuana from other countries for medical reasons, and if people could grow it here many farmers could be back in business.

Senior Andrea Samdahl, treasurer of the Campus Greens, said many of Young’s beliefs are similar to that of the Campus Greens.

“I really liked his ideas,” she said. “They were very positive – much more responsible than what I’ve heard from other candidates.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

The Spectator intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. The Spectator does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments.
All The Spectator Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
Green Party gubernatorial candidate visits campus