Tammy Baldwin, Madison's Democratic U.S. Representative, discussed the United States' current political climate Monday night in an effort to garner student support for the upcoming Congressional elections.
She addressed a variety of issues plaguing Wisconsinites, including health care, the gay marriage amendment and stem cell research at a student meet-and-greet in Witte Hall.
Baldwin said she supports stem cell research and co-sponsored a later-vetoed bill in an attempt to reverse President Bush's decision to limit funding on embryonic stem cells. If citizens do not support stem cell research, she said, the costs will be significant. Among lost research and time, she cited the possibility of losing the best and brightest researchers.
On the gay marriage ban, Baldwin said, ""I believe so fervently that constitutions are meant to expand rights, not to take rights away, and especially in a way that targets one group of citizens.""
She said she is confident Wisconsin can be the first state to defeat the amendment in the Nov. 7 election.
If the amendment passes, according to Baldwin, it will ultimately remove the fundamental right of aggrieved groups of people to approach their representatives and petition in the government.
Baldwin has a strong connection to young voters dating back to when she held a seat on the Dane County Board while she attended law school at UW-Madison.
On the board, Baldwin said one of her primary goals was to persuade her older colleagues of the importance of taking young voters and students seriously as constituents. She also attributed her success in the 1998 Congressional elections to the student vote.
UW- Madison sophomore Keith Nevitt explained why students are not actively involved in politics.
""I think it's a problem of youth,"" he said. ""We think our vote doesn't matter.""
However, despite this, he said it is essential to get involved.
""It doesn't matter who you vote for, just that you get involved in general, because these things actually affect us,"" Nevitt said.
However, former UW-Madison student Bill Anderson said students should get involved in politics, but not put their energy into electoral politics.
""No social change has ever come of electoral politics,"" he said.
