Opinion - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

Rethinking Putin's Russian government

By Ben Miller | Nov. 3, 2015

Patriotism. A word that inspires hope, respect and a willingness to forever defend one’s nation.

OPINION

The European Union needs restructuring

By Steven Kelly | Nov. 3, 2015

Debt. Unemployment. Banking. Refugees. The list of words that preface “crisis” in Europe could go on for days.

OPINION

Factory-made costumes are taking over Halloween spirit

By Eli Radtke | Nov. 3, 2015

Saturday night, the streets were filled with ghouls, ghosts and other garish creatures of the more unnerving persuasion. Classics enjoyed by many generations made their appearance as well, monsters like Frankenstein (Yes I know technically it’s Frankenstein’s monster), werewolves and all forms of vampire. And of course, the slutty nurse, cats that if they were cats would have no fur and professions clearly depicted with less clothing than usual. All these and more haunted the streets this weekend, revealing without a care by the light of the October moon, their visages magical and mysterious in the moonlight, titillating and enticing.

As enrollment for classes begins, make sure to balance the classes you want to take with the classes you need for your degree.

CAMPUS NEWS

How to make your schedule work for you next semester

By Thomas Rademacher | Nov. 2, 2015

Enrollment can be a stressful time for us students. Especially when there seems to be an overwhelming number of requirements that we must fulfill in order to graduate. With enrollment for next semester right around the corner, it is a good time to start thinking and planning ahead to make your schedule work for you. Doing more of what you want is entirely possible, even with taking prerequisite courses and fulfilling requirements. All it takes is a little forethought, future planning, a positive attitude and an open mind.

A shot of Southeast Asia from space shows just how widespread the fires are in the region.

OPINION

Southeastern Asia threatened by fires

By Jack Kelly | Nov. 2, 2015

Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are literally choking under a thick haze of wildfire smoke caused by the yearly burning of forests for the production of pulp, paper and palm oil on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia. The smoky haze that has engulfed these nations had been described by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics as a “crime against humanity.” Schools have been closed, roadways shut down and half a million cases of acute respiratory infection have been reported since July.

OPINION

Letter to the editor: Sports teach women leadership skills

By Jon Spike and Linda McMahon | Nov. 1, 2015

My fifth-grade classmate Mary Beth was one of the nicest people in our school. But playing against her in the girls’ basketball league, I found her incredibly intimidating. This was not the NBA.

OPINION

Philosophy is the key to unlocking life's most-asked questions

By Hae Rin Lee | Nov. 1, 2015

It is so easy to lose the purpose of living in this world—feeling confused on what I should be, or want to do. In third grade, I was walking home from school in the late afternoon, looking at the orange sunset spread over the sky, and I wondered, “Why was I born? How is this world structured?” I thought that in order to understand what I should be doing, I need to understand the purpose of this world, how it is made and what it is made for.

Tuition hikes for out-of-state students at UW-Madison have been a point of contention between students and administration.

CAMPUS NEWS

Affordable college critical in bolstering economy and further generations

By Samantha Wilcox | Oct. 28, 2015

As current college students know, a college diploma is just about mandatory to succeed in the highly competitive job market after graduation. However, obtaining that diploma is an extremely costly task. It costs nearly $25,000 for Wisconsin residents to attend UW-Madison each year, with tuition for out-of-state students soaring to nearly $45,000. Under the current system for higher education, families either have to save for decades or plunge into the black hole of student loans to afford the cost of a college education. However, during this current election cycle, candidates are batting around the idea of a free public college education for students. This would not only alleviate the financial and emotional stress from millions of families across the country, but would also jump-start the American economy.

The effectiveness of always hitting one specific study spot, such as H.C. White, is questionable.

CAMPUS NEWS

Routine is the bane of academic success

By Marisa Bernstein | Oct. 28, 2015

Everyone’s had a dragged-out Sunday at College Library. A stack of empty paper coffee cups. Bags of sour gummy worms forming a pile. A mountain of unfinished work. I often find myself stuck in this all-too familiar scene until the walls blend into the floor and my reading comprehension abilities are put into question. When I finally make my escape, it is not without a pledge that Helen and I will meet again next Sunday to repeat the same mundane production.

OPINION

Debate needs to return to its origins

By Ben Miller | Oct. 27, 2015

Let’s get something clear. Being opposed to same-sex marriage does not make you homophobic. Being opposed to abortion does not mean you hate women.

OPINION

Russia under the microscope in Syria

By Jack Kelly | Oct. 27, 2015

Russian warplanes in Western Syria have carried out several airstrikes that are believed to have killed dozens of civilians.

OPINION

Eliminating net neutrality is a priority

By Tim Heinzel | Oct. 27, 2015

At first glance, net neutrality seems like a great idea. It proclaims to keep the Internet free, equal and void of discrimination. Freedom, equality and anti-discrimination certainly are important American principles, but they are meant to be applied to citizens’ relationship with government, not citizens’ relationship with private businesses. Internet access is not a right, and all of the intricacies and stipulations of the service should be left up to the Internet company and its customers.

Natural gas pipeline projects such as Keystone XL have recently come under scrutiny due to how disruptive they are to the environment and anyone living by them.

OPINION

Expansion of eminent domain hits home

By Nate Borchardt | Oct. 26, 2015

The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management,” Thomas Jefferson said.

When many concertgoers whip out their phones, it becomes difficult to appreciate the show.

OPINION

Too many cell phones detract from everyone’s concertgoing experience

By Eli Radtke | Oct. 26, 2015

It was a crisp October evening in Madison; the leaves were beautiful and the weather was perfect for a warm sweater. I was feeling content, walking down the street towards the glowing sign of the Majestic Theater, visions of the concert to come being entertained in my imagination, as my friends and I enjoyed the warmth of our alcohol blankets. With a few ‘pardon mes’ and only a couple ‘watch it bubs,’ we made our way into a decent position and began to cheer as the lights dimmed. That’s when the crowd began to glow.

OPINION

The harsh reality of the freshman 15

By Sebastian van Bastelaer | Oct. 25, 2015

Every incoming freshman is told of the horrors of the freshman 15. Even the utterance of its name is enough to strike fear in the hearts of us all. Most people have a plan coming in to avoid the abominable phenomenon. Upon arriving on campus, however, it’s quickly become apparent that eluding the freshman 15’s grip is easier said than done.

OPINION

South Korea’s history is getting standardized

By Hae Rin Lee | Oct. 25, 2015

Oct. 12, South Korea decided to implement a new nationalized Korean history textbook starting in 2017. As a South Korean and a history major, this is one of the most shameful downplays of historical study. This textbook applies to all South Korean public institutions from elementary to high schools. George Orwell emphasized the importance of history itself: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” History has to be studied and narrated by different sources and viewpoints; if not, then we will only harvest unripe and foul misunderstandings.

Chancellor Blank frequently speaks on the topic of the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption by the student body.

CAMPUS NEWS

Peer pressure is an unspoken danger to students on college campuses

By Natalie Maczuga | Oct. 21, 2015

Irecently came across a quote saying “don’t choose being ‘cool’ because it doesn’t mean anything outside of high school.” My knee-jerk reaction was “what a load of crap.” Middle school and high school were overwhelming when it came to peer pressure. Not only were you trying to figure yourself out, but so was everybody else and the melting pot of moldable identities did not really aid you in finding your own. However, after four years of college, I can say that college is just a more expensive version of high school, boiling over with even more peer pressure than ever before.

CAMPUS NEWS

Cardinal View: UW falls short in clarity of sexual assault policy

By Cardinal View | Oct. 21, 2015

We have a sexual assault problem.

The University of Wisconsin Police Department has recently come out against campus concealed carry.

CAMPUS NEWS

Concealed carry on campus is dangerous

By JoEllen Amato and Samantha Wilcox | Oct. 21, 2015

Campus shootings are a horror that are unfortunately becoming a common occurrence in today’s society. Within 2015 alone, there have been 53 campus shootings across the country, killing 30 and injuring 53 people, according to The Kansas City Star. There are multiple schools of thought on how we can overcome this problem: increased gun control, improved treatment of mental health issues or fighting fire with fire by making it easier to defend oneself with a gun. This is the option that Wisconsin lawmakers want to make a reality on University of Wisconsin campuses, with state Rep. Jesse Kremer,R-Kewaskum, and Sen. Devin LeMahieu, D-Rostburg, proposing a bill to the state Senate that would allow students and faculty to conceal carry weapons on campus.

OPINION

Writing is a tough job, but is worth all the hard work

By Jon Spike and Ben Miller | Oct. 20, 2015

For the past hour, I’ve been staring at a blank Google Doc page. My fingers are lying motionless at the helm of the keyboard. My mind is wandering into space. Not a single idea is coming to mind.