Hill a valuable voice

Bloomington is a blue sanctuary, characterized as a small speck of liberal territory surrounded by mountains of red terrain. Nobody understands this better than Congressman Baron Hill.

Indiana’s 9th District extends farther south from the campus than most students ever venture. At the far reaches of Baron Hill’s constituency, the Kentucky border, are cities filled with citizens who vastly lean to the right of the political spectrum.

While liberal students might not all agree with our conservative fellow district residents, what kind of representative would Baron Hill be if he chose to ignore citizens within his district?

To proclaim Hill as not liberal enough for our singular town, only one under the large span of his control is a narrow-minded idea that does not take into account that a representative has to represent the ideals of every constituent, liberal or conservative.

As our nation embarks on a new journey, defined by the concept of change and new progressive leadership, we need to look at what being a progressive politician means in Indiana. Mike Sodrel is against stem cell research, against allowing a woman to have the right to choose what to do with her own body and believes that our high rates of teenage pregnancies can be solved through abstinence-only sex education.

Taking a liberal stance on social issues in Indiana? Now that’s progressive. And that’s Baron Hill.

Students, pursuant to the Indiana Daily Student Editorial Board non-endorsement, should not have been content with either candidate winning, when a Mike Sodrel-run district would have completely ignored any and all liberal ideals.

It is upsetting that Baron’s hard work to secure funds for students has seemed to have gone unnoticed. One quick glance at Baron’s voting record shows he does everything he can to help students succeed while they are living within his district.

He voted for the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, which increased federal loan limits for students, and gave parents, who are also borrowing, more time to start their payments. He voted for Higher Education Act Amendments and Extensions, which expanded the Pell Grant system as well as raised the maximum amount from $5,800 to $8,000.

He voted for the College Student Relief Act of 2007, which reduced student interest rates on loans by one half.

Mike Sodrel, during his thankfully short time in Congress, did not attempt to help students financially. He voted “No” on the Reverse the Raid on Student Aide Act, an act that would have granted $84 million for predominantly black and Hispanic-serving colleges, lowered interest rates on federal student loans and creating year-round Pell grants.

The way I see it, Hill was the only congressional candidate on the ticket with a history of fighting to help students keep hard-earned money and make college affordable.

The answer to the varied political population of Indiana’s 9th District is clear. What we need is a representative who can handle making tough decisions on issues that can so easily divide us. Baron Hill is a refreshing independent voice, someone who makes political decisions by refusing to follow arbitrary party lines that are unrepresentative of his district constituents.