SOUDER'S LAW VICTIMIZES THOSE WHO CANNOT AFFORD UNIVERSITIES

Dear Editor,

I wish to thank The Ball State Daily News for the Friday article
"Student files lawsuit; freshman convicted for drug possession loses
financial aid."

All over America, students - and those who want to be but can no
longer afford it - are being victimized and violated by "Souder's
Law." I am thrilled that Ball State's Alexis Schwab is fighting back.

Schwab is being helped in her lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties
Union and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. I belong to the SSDP
Geezer Auxiliary. I strongly urge every Ball State University student
to join the SSDP today and follow Schwab's example of defending
herself against this vile, child-bashing, racist federal law.

Rep. Mark Souder, a perpetual gift to our Congress from Fort Wayne's
voters, sneaked this toxic legislation into a huge omnibus federal
education reform bill at the last moment, with no public hearings and
no public testimony. Most members of Congress who voted for the
omnibus reform bill had not read Souder's last-minute amendment and
were wholly unaware of its contents.

That was seven years - and 160,000 young people denied student loans -
ago. A growing caucus of decent representatives and senators have
publicly vowed to repeal this continuing injustice.

Make sure your U.S. representative and your senators have publicly
declared their intentions to repeal Souder's Law. Make sure they know
how you'll vote until they do.

On Nov. 7, Souder will run for re-election.

Is every Ball State student registered to vote in the Nov. 7
election?

Those from Souder's (3rd) District, please register there so your vote
can defeat him and end his campaign of hate and foot-shooting damage.

And I hope every college student in Indiana makes time to talk to the
voters of Fort Wayne and ask them to please end Souder's cruelty.

A face-to-face conversation with a neighbor is the most powerful tool
of political persuasion. (But the Internet and e-mail are excellent,
too. You can steal lots of votes from Souder in your dorm room.)

Souder's law exclusively victimizes the poor. Well-off families don't
need federal financial aid.

Souder's law most heavily targets students of color, African-Americans
and Hispanics, but Souder will be thrilled to ruin your dreams of a
good life through higher education regardless of your race, color,
religion or ethnicity.

Until they start fighting back, as Schwab has chosen to do, America's
students are just Souder's defenseless victims. Every destroyed
college education is Savage Voter Candy to re-elect Souder.

Do the greatest thing for America, and for yourselves, that a college
student in Indiana can do: Defeat Mark Souder on Nov. 7. Twelve years
of reckless cruelty is enough.

Bob Merkin