This is most likely the last time that you will read an article by me in The Bruin. There isn't enough money in the ASB account for another issue, and although we will fundraise for the Cub Edition, I will not be a part of it as a senior. This is sad for me and the rest of the seniors who are just finishing their final first semester.

I can't imagine anymore budget cuts happening at the school and that is why, in my final opinion, I sincerely thank the voters of Oregon for voting yes on measures 66 and 67.

I know that by the time the paper comes out, the news that the measures had passed will be old, but I feel that it is necessary to positively reinforce the decision that Oregonians made. For the first time in a very long time, voters have chosen the peoples' needs over corporate greed.

I know that if you voted "no" on the ballot you find the result to be disappointing, but fear not! You will be part of the solution that will prevent $3.3 million dollars being cut from the McMinnville school District alone.

Don't you feel proud of that? Doesn't that make you feel good that the extra money you will be taxed is going to something that you can physically see?

If I were a c-corporation with a revenue of $500,000 or less a year, I might be bitter about paying an extra $140 a year, but I think that I would soon realize that it is a mere portion of what I earn, and that what I pay is going to help sustain what may be the best thing civilization has to offer.

Commonly recognized as one of the greatest justices, Oliver Holmes once said, "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society." Education is a great privilege and a right that every American citizen possesses. It is the foundation for our society, and the backbone of our country. The future may be now, but today's children and teenagers are tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, politicians, and others that may help the economy turn around. For too long the income tax of $10 has stayed the same while the cost of virtually everything else has gone up.

There is a reason why we are in a recession, and a major part of the reason is that there is a major gap between the working class and the rich. The middle class is nearly destroyed, and because this balance has been thrown off for so long, and because corporations have not thrown in as much as they should for so long, we have been in a tailspin nosedive for the last few years.The measures that were passed on Jan. 26 will help to stop the bleeding. This will be the first step to recovery, but voters have to keep in mind that these measures, if not enhanced in the next few years, will be the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a severed artery.

So, my fellow students, I hope that you have enjoyed The Bruin; it has been fun writing for four issues this year. For the underclassmen, I hope you enjoy the paper next year, if things go well and people pay their ASB, The Bruin will come out more.

I thank The Bruin and the school for giving me the opportunity to write to our student body over the last three years. I thank the readers for reading my articles, and for giving me feedback. There are a lot of things I'll remember about The Bruin, but the memory that sticks out most vividly at this point is the delivering of papers to classrooms and seeing the brightening of eyes and the exclamation "alright!" as I hand the stack of papers to the teacher.

Most of all, I thank the voters, on behalf of my newspaper, and my school district, for installing that experience for at least a few more years.