The steady stream of political discourse occasionally explodes into a deluge of impassioned debate and fiery argument. Given the upcoming presidential free-for-all and the uncertain state budget picture, another torrent has arrived. As such, more voices have joined the fray, and the existing voices have certainly grown louder.

The Badger Herald Editorial Page takes pride in its ability to chart a course through this sea of analysis and opinion, but it is only you, the student, who has ultimate control of this page's destination. If you have an opinion, then we want you to voice it. Political allegiance is of no concern to us, only your representation of the campus voice. It is our fundamental goal to peer through the dense fog of spin, press releases and official statements to reveal a clear and honest presentation of the issues that matter, and we want your help in doing so.

When traversing this tempestuous ocean of public opinion, our journalistic compass must point in a focused direction. The Badger Herald Editorial Page publishes analysis from a logically argued standpoint, but we encourage the infusion of bias across the spectrum. Although we encourage our writers to examine issues from a range of perspectives, polemic arguments with well-researched and strongly supported arguments are just as welcome. In this way, we are not merely points on a map, but a landmark on the terrain.
Yet, we cannot lose sight of our own shore. As students, we're most qualified to analyze and criticize campus, city and state issues that affect our daily lives. We may occasionally venture into the distant realm of national forum from time to time, but we will always return to Madison and the university.

While we consider ourselves seasoned admirals on the political high seas, we often turn from our compass to the stars for navigation. Such is the case on the following page of this section as we have summoned the prowess of the governor and leaders of both houses of the state Legislature to offer their most ardent opinions on the state budget. Budget negotiations between the Senate and Assembly have become entirely absurd and counterproductive and have rendered our state budget-less at an incredibly late date in the summer. These events are unprecedented and deserving of further explanation, and we have therefore gone straight to the top for answers, as is our custom at the Herald.

Finally, the traffic on the high seas of opinion will certainly crowd our journalistic port this semester, and we hope the bustling activity compels you to contribute your own items of commentary and debate, either through letters to the editor or our online commentary. If you have a desire to write for the opinion section or any other section of The Badger Herald, please come to one of our two New Writers Meetings Sept. 10 and 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Herald office (326 W. Gorham St.).

Hope you enjoy sailing metaphors. It's just our way of saying, "Welcome aboard."

Andy Granias

Editorial Page Editor

Jason Smathers

Editorial Page Content Editor