[ProgSoc] VSU (Was: What should the exec do? (Was: Scrap VSU info from UTS Union))

Nicholas FitzRoy-Dale wzdd at progsoc.org
Mon Mar 9 21:18:01 EST 2009


On 09/03/2009, at 8:48 PM, Anand Kumria wrote:
> Andi's theory is that the tax imposed by the Union provides a
> "necessary and critical service" (a social scene).
>
> So far none of the arguments presented counter that.

I'm pretty sure that no political party who ran on the "fund a social  
scene" ticket would get elected.

Andi's argument is logically sound and the counter-argument is that  
the Union is nothing like the Goverment because nobody would vote for  
the things the Union provides if Australia and billions of dollars,  
rather than UTS and thousands of dollars, were at stake.

The obvious counter-argument to that is that clearly Australia and UTS  
have differing "critical needs", and the response is that if that is  
so clearly the case it is inappropriate to draw parallels between  
mandatory student unionism and the Government.

There is no totally satisfying way to determine if UTS really does  
have "critical needs" AND that those critical needs are best satisfied  
by voluntary student unionism, but one way that I think is reasonably  
acceptable is to ask if a large majority think that is the case. I  
don't know if a large majority of students are in favour of MSU. I am,  
however, pretty certain that an overwhelming majority of Australians  
think we need a Government (and taxes) of some form.

Nicholas






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