Students nominated to GOP, Democratic nat'l conventions

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by Lindsey Schecter

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During the Republican Precinct Convention which followed the closing of the polls on Tuesday, five Rice students were elected as delegates to the Senatorial Precinct Convention to be held on March 30. The Democrats also chose six Rice students to represent their precinct at the Democratic District Caucus.

The Republicans are allowed one representative for every 25 Republicans who voted from their precinct in the last presidential election. Since 135 people voted for Bush in 1992, Senate District 13 was allotted five representatives this year.

The delegates for 1996 are Will Rice College junior Harry White, Hanszen College sophomore Brent Christensen, Sid Richardson College junior Neelay Desai, Baker College freshman Greg Mongiello and Lovett College junior Travis Hopp.

At the precinct convention, delegates will choose representatives to go to the state convention and discuss proposed amendments to the state and federal Republican platforms.

The six people selected to go to the Democratic District Caucus are Hanszen sophomores Sergio Martinez and Stewart Schmella; Jones College sophomore Sheffy Gordon; SRC senior Stella Flores, junior Michael Gomez and junior Josh Earnest. Gomez was elected permanent chair and secretary of the precinct.

Part of his duties will involve attending the state convention to be held this June in Dallas.

The Republicans also voted on suggested amendments to the state and federal Republican platform.

Approved recommendations for the federal platform include replacing the federal income tax with a national consumption tax, normalizing relations with Cuba, changing the legal drinking age to 18 and exchanging the one dollar bill for a coin.

On the state level, the precinct supports changes such as an elimination of term limits on federal offices and an increase in the rural speed limit on interstate highways to 80 mph.

The petitions to eliminate the balanced budget issue and the penny did not pass. The approved topics will be discussed and voted on in the precinct convention in March before being sent on to the state convention.

This item appeared in the News section of the March 15, 1996 issue.

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