Politics were in the air on Wednesday, Oct. 20, as populist, activist, author and syndicated columnist Jim Hightower took the stage in the GRW auditorium at Point Park University. Wearing an ivory cowboy hat, Jim Hightower is described as being a “modern day Johnny Appleseed” with his goal to teach the value of populism to the modern American society.Hightower’s political views stem from the concept of populism, which is essentially pure democracy as opposed to representative democracy. The idea is that the people are the ones who can make real change and how, as Hightower said in his speech, “it’s up to us, not them.”He went on to address how Republicans’ negative reception of President Obama’s actions. “We kind of cracked back in the La-Z Boys… and thought ‘Obama’s in the White House, he can take care of everything now.’ Obama is only going to be as good as we make him,” Hightower said.To illustrate this, he used an anecdote about a hardware store in Austin, Tx., with the slogan “Together, we can do it yourself.” The store would do anything from sell individual nails to loan out tools. Hightower said we are a “united” country and we need to come together again as one in order to do it ourselves.Hightower comes from a working-class background in Denison, Tx., and worked his way into politics following college. He said while people see him as the voice of so many Americans, he never planned to be so.”Don’t look to someone to lead you.” Hightower said in his speech. “You’ve got a voice, and you’ve got to speak out.”He felt compelled to go into his field of study since he grew up in the 60’s in the midst of the civil rights movements. He attended segregated schools and was awakened to the idea of racism when he was given the opportunity to sit next to African-American students at North Texas State University.”Eventually, it was the fact that I recognized that it wasn’t just poor people and black people,” Hightower said. “It was the majority of the people being stomped on by the powers that be who are gaining more money and power for them at the expense of us.”Channa Newman, of the Point Park global cultural studies program, invited Hightower to speak at the event because she feels that he does not pursue fame for the sake of it, but for the ability to have a greater influence on the common good through his words.”I invite only people who I feel view . . . all citizens as a part of the elite,” Newman said. “[Only those] who are genuinely concerned for the public good and not lining their pockets from the fact that they’re celebrities… Hightower tailors his speeches to our needs and has a global perspective on human rights.”Previous guest speakers from the global cultural studies program have included Ralph Nader and Tony Norman from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Following Hightower’s speech, the floor was opened up to questions from the audience. These questions, as well as his answers, were primarily aimed at current topics from his speech and current issues in the political world.Holden Holden, a senior global cultural studies major sparked intrigue regarding the difference between corporations and co-ops. Hightower’s response involved a response on how corporations use shareholder money to influence elections while co-ops play a much more citizen-oriented role in how they work with the public.Political Science Professor Doug Panhallegon expressed interest in Hightower’s views on the issue of Obama’s healthcare bill. Hightower was able to explain how the Democrats let the bill get out from under them and failed to foresee right-wing assault. After a rocky start, the bill and then the reform was handed to Max Baucus, a Democratic Montana senator on the Senate Finance Committee.”We don’t hand the banking bill to the chair of the health committee. Why did we hand the healthcare bill to the head of the finance committee?” Hightower said.A brief reception and book signing followed the event and allowed people to speak with Hightower and reflect on the evening. Colleen Hennigan, wife of Point Park University President Paul Hennigan, was present at the event and spoke briefly about how she came “looking for a different point of view… exposing students and adults to different experiences.”Autumn Shuty, a junior secondary education-citizenship major, attended the lecture as a part of her History of Pennsylvania class. “I thought it was very informative,” Shuty said. “He was very funny and has a very different view on politics.”Visiting guest Richard Lang was present because he had long been a fan of Hightower’s political pieces. “I lived in Santa Fe for a long time and read a weekly newspaper that always carried his column,” Lang said. “It was always a highlight for me with his unique thinking and ability to verify it.”  For those who were unable to attend the event, Jim Hightower regularly speaks at other events. A listing of future tour dates and locations can be found on his website at www.jimhightower.com.