Dear Editor,
The A.S. Council has once again proven itself worthless. If we are to look at the assertions of this fee referendum through the lens of empiricism, it becomes painfully clear that it is largely without merit. To be more specific, the A.S. Programming Office’s claim that it needs more money is predicated on the idea that with money comes a better Sun God Festival. But is this the case? One needs only consider the history of Sun God to long for the days of yore when the festival was about student celebration, not the idolization of half-rate pop acts. Because of this apparent disregard for the event’s history, many people view A.S. Programming with disdain (as evidenced by the thousands of members in various Facebook groups). They see this demand for more money with no previous results as malicious, but I would argue this is not the case. A.S. Programming has no real incentive to do things economically, or to consider the fun students have, because it has no competition, and there are no consequences if everyone hates the event. Every time people like former Associate Vice President of Programming Kevin Highland or his successor Garrett Berg storm into council demanding more money, councilmembers oblige regardless of the outcome. Why would they ever consider the results of their efforts? As they hold Sun God hostage, we sit in fear that UCSD will fulfill the stereotypes. The answer is not paralysis, but dissent.