To start from the beginning, I was born in Detroit and raised in East Lansing. I played a season of football at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. After that, I attended Lansing Community College, graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Creative Writing and transferred to MSU.

I am a professional writing junior. My current track is digital and technical writing. Like most students, I hope to use my degree to heat whatever abandoned building I will squat in after graduation. Barring that, I hope to make it into graduate school to continue my studies.

I would probably be classified as a liberal, although I like to think of myself as moderate or, perhaps, pragmatic. I am pro-personal responsibility and personal freedom, but also a proponent of making more egalitarian both socially and politically. To clarify, I do not mean, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need,” but an approach to society that takes into account inequalities in our social and political systems.

I am for health care reform and/or universal health care because I think health is a basic human right. I don’t believe there is a set level for how healthy an individual should be, but I do think there can be criteria used to determine sufficiency of health in given areas. I complement my health care views by believing the government — federal or otherwise — has a duty to protect basic human rights. In other words, I am for a public option paid for by taxes largely collected from the wealthiest people in the nation.

I don’t think I am in favor of “wealth redistribution,” but of taxes levied to provide funding for a public good. Of course, the issue of health care is far more vast and complex than any of the opinions I have stated, but they generally form my foundation.

Stating my opinion on these subjects has more to do with stating something unpopular than simply blowing my own horn. The ideas presented are views I feel I can back with sound reasoning and persuasive language, if need be. Most readers are probably familiar with the joke “Opinions are like (redacted), everyone has one.” The idea is that some opinions are stronger because they are supported by empirical evidence and a grounded, transparent narrative.
For comparison, take into account that the Pulitzer Prize committee awards its editorial award based on the standard of “clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction.”

I’m not saying this space — this page — will always be Pulitzer worthy. In fact, I’m not sure that is possible. I will, however, strive to keep the quality of writing and reasoning at a high level. To do that I will need the opinions of readers — dissenting and otherwise — to fully flesh out what this page can do.

I am asking for readers to submit letters voicing their concerns about opinions stated in columns or editorials on this page, as well as at MSU and in the surrounding community.

For my part, I will endeavor to be as open-minded as I possibly can while choosing topics and taking positions on subjects. I don’t want the things here to please everyone all the time — that’s impossible. I would like them to create discussion among readers and encourage them to look at different facets of problems or research the history of social issues.

This should be an open and ever-changing dialogue about the world in which we live and the effects it has on our lives.
I hope this is what the opinion page will be about: A place to converse. It might be wishful thinking hoping to create a marketplace of ideas for the MSU community, but mayhaps it is not so farfetched.

Barring that, I still think the opinion page can be a place where journalists and readers can look at the things happening around them and call “B.S.” when necessary.

David Barker is the State News student government reporter. Reach him at barkerd@msu.edu.