It is a great disappointment that Student Senate voted against the idea of rebalancing the amounts that students pay for tuition and the General Fee (Thursday’s Post).

Recently, Richard Vedder, distinguished professor of economics at Ohio University, offered his analysis of the impact of the pending labor-relations legislation Ohio Senate Bill 5. He accurately noted that Athens County has the highest percentage of government employees in the state at about 36 percent.

The budget-cutting proposals emanating from Ohio University’s Cutler Hall ignore insights which even a summary scrutiny of the only comparable financial crisis – that produced by the enrollment downturn of the early 1970s – easily reveal. By that decade, a recognizable version of the OU of today had emerged under the leadership of presidents Baker and Alden from 1945 to 1969.

I attended Saturday’s meeting that state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, organized at the Athens Community Center concerning Senate Bill 5.

Ohio University Provost Pam Benoit and Finance VP Stephen Golding sent out another of their wordy budget-crisis essays this week entitled “Multi-Year Budget Strategy Update,” vaguely outlining their latest plan.

This is a comment in response to the Rev. Bob Nickester’s “Tea Party is Necessary to Save Our Nation from Liberals” (The Athens News, Feb. 3).

Like clean air and open democracy? Boycott the Koch Brothers!

Recently, I have noticed increasing dialogue about activism at OU. The topics that are motivating this dialogue range from local budget concerns to global social-justice issues. While I am heartened by the discussion and hopeful about increasing student engagement, today’s students still seem reluctant to act. I wonder what it will take to motivate students to engage in community dialogue.

I get sick of you liberal donkeys painting patriotism as tyranny. If it wasn’t for men and women trying to seek justice and morale balance in this country, it would have already been gone long ago. Let’s look at some of the visiting folks who were at the Tea Party rallies who admitted to being planted there by the socialist or Communist Party.

In a country where nearly 7 million children are living in extreme poverty, how can anyone claim that welfare reform has been a success?