Opinion - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

Cardinal View: Right-to-work legislation is pure politics

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Mar. 2, 2015

As the Republicans swept through statehouses, governor’s mansions and Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010, there was an almost immediate reaction from one of the left’s biggest supporters: unions. Legislation proposed in the beginning of 2011 that would bar public sector unions from a practice known as collective bargaining sparked the reaction. From Madison, Wis., to Columbus, Ohio, union members became the backbone of weeks-long protests that gripped Rust Belt states.

OPINION

Don’t sacrifice living in the moment for the big picture

By Marisa Bernstein | Mar. 2, 2015

Sunday. The day of rest never seems to live up to expectations. For me, it usually includes relentlessly avoiding my homework for hours, consuming copious amounts of peanut butter cups, always followed by the crippling realization that it’s 10 p.m. and I have accomplished next to nothing all day. I always have to pay for my Sundays later in the week, which usually results in very long nights doing the mindless assignments that I had previously deemed a “waste of my weekend” and subsequently refused to complete them until the night before they’re due.

OPINION

President Obama seeks congressional authorization to take new direction against ISIL

By Sergey Fedossov | Feb. 25, 2015

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a group of butchers. There is no question to the atrocities they are guilty of, from inhumane executions of prisoners, to organ trafficking and child prostitution, these disgusting religious extremists deserve nothing less than swift retribution. However, this white-knuckled rage against a stateless, seemingly faceless enemy, is a dangerous one that led us to the quagmire that was the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Looking at US military policy from the conflicts in the Middle East over the past decade, I believe there are things that could have been done differently, both on the battlefield and off of it. High civilian casualties, an absence of reliable government, and lack of dedicated humanitarian aid/infrastructure development after the siege of Baghdad led to a failure that even the most hard-nosed conservative would be pressed to support entirely. Despite this idea of temperance and looking toward history, my anger rose again when I wondered how many more headlines I would have to read of civilians executed by ISIL. Countries such as Jordan, with far fewer resources than the United States, have responded in kind to ISIL, showing they will not be cowed. My fears were put to rest a few weeks ago when it was announced President Obama was holding an address to the nation regarding action against ISIL.

OPINION

Republican's foreign policy strategies are tired and dated

By Benjamin Rangel | Feb. 24, 2015

The New York Times published an article this past Tuesday stressing the importance of foreign policy in the impending race among Republican presidential contenders. With the national economy improving under President Obama’s term and foreign policy challenges, like the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Middle East and U.S.-Russia relations surrounding the Ukraine crisis, hawkish conservatives will undoubtedly look for political strength in foreign issues.

OPINION

In college, it pays to be thoughtful

By Samuel Fritz | Feb. 23, 2015

Back in May 2014, Purdue collaborated with Gallup, the public opinion baron, to publish a report on the factors of postgraduate well-being. The result was a beautiful 24-page document that looks for a “holistic view of college graduates’ lives,” one that departs from the typical college metrics of statistics and rankings and “reflect[s] the myriad [of] reasons why students go to college.” Purdue and Gallup wanted to find if college was doing as much as it promised to help grads attain satisfying jobs and happy lives.

OPINION

Academy award winners use acceptance speeches to preach acceptance

By Lilly Hanson | Feb. 23, 2015

While the Oscars were a televised event of musical numbers and stars dressed in gorgeous evening wear, there was something about the ceremony that resurrected more feelings than usual. As is the norm at award shows, actors accepted awards with meaningful and poignant speeches.

OPINION

Franchise fatigue prompts film debate

By Elijah Gray | Feb. 22, 2015

Of the 10 highest-grossing films of 2014, eight were franchises and half of those eight were superhero films. Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of the independently produced “Birdman,” proclaimed in a Rolling Stone interview that these movies are “ruining things in a lot of ways” and “keep taking up room that could be going to smaller films.” Conversely, when asked by Rolling Stone if there are too many superhero films on the market, Paul Thomas Anderson, who helmed the also independently produced “Inherent Vice,” quipped that “people need to get a life if they’re having that discussion.”

OPINION

Staying in the moment is the key to exceeding expectations

By Yeonju Oh | Feb. 22, 2015

Many advertising agencies and other experts annually review marketing industry reports for current trends. I believe that trend reports tremendously help marketers to shape and plan various marketing strategies. I acknowledge that the rudiments of marketing always seem to be coherent, how one applies these fundamentals to altering trends is crucial. This is what I believe to be the most intriguing and interesting trend of this year: exceeding expectations in unexpected ways.

OPINION

Cardinal View: High-rises bring affordability concerns

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Feb. 18, 2015

Creating a downtown housing market based almost solely on luxury apartments, in the eyes of this Editorial Board, does not provide sufficient means for stunting student housing prices. Moreover, it puts the needs of students, who, for what it’s worth, have in recent history been the backbone of Madison’s downtown economy, behind those of young professionals—a group the city is clearly working to attract with new development.

OPINION

Battling mental health illness alone is never the answer

By Cullen Voss | Feb. 18, 2015

I have a therapist. I’ve never felt completely confident admitting that fact to people, even my immediate family. Now, however, I think it’s important, particularly for university students, to know that you are not alone in fighting your mental health problems. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in every four Americans will experience a mental health condition at least once in their life. It’s also important to know that anyone can be effected by a mental health problem. Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, Terry Bradshaw, Princess Diana, Sheryl Crow, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, J.K. Rowling, Heath Ledger and, most recently, Robin Williams all suffered from mental health problems. It is not simply a poor person’s problem or a drug user’s problem.

NASA runs trial of submersible in Lake Mendota

OPINION

Walker will shirk governor role in presidential campaign

By Benjamin Rangel | Feb. 17, 2015

It is no secret that Gov. Scott Walker has his heart set on making a presidential run in 2016, or at the very least he is seriously thinking about it. He is ranking in the top four among potential Republican candidates in almost every poll and was the first to open an office in Iowa to explore such a run. However, this means the closer we inch toward the 2016 election, the less time the governor will have to, well, govern. This should give rise to concerns among not only residents of Wisconsin, but also hopeful supporters of Walker’s presidential run, since he will be fighting a political war on two fronts.

OPINION

Soglin is Madison, forever and always

By Max Lenz | Feb. 17, 2015

On the night of October 18, 1967, Paul Soglin needed some stitches. His cuts and bruises served as tattoos commemorating one of the darkest and most famous moments in the history of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Earlier that day, Soglin and a large group of students met in what is now Ingraham Hall for the second installment of a demonstration protesting the on-campus interviews being held by the Dow Chemical Company, one of the principal producers of napalm for the United States military. While remaining peaceful, the students were eventually ordered out of the building, which led to a bloody conflict. Those enforcing the removal were police officers for the city of Madison.

OPINION

City’s troubled taxis face competition

By Samantha Gottstein | Feb. 16, 2015

Coming from someone who was an absolute insomniac in high school, the concept of a 24-hour library on campus was a game-changer my first semester. At around 1 a.m., I found myself in a state of delirium that another cup of coffee could just not resolve. It was time to go home. However, I found myself in a state of panic when I realized that my friends were long gone, and I was now in a position to walk alone. While it was merely a block from College Library to my building, my inner drama queen took over, creating seemingly endless horror stories of what could happen on my commute back. As a result, I opted to call a UW Transportation Services “campus-approved” cab, which I thought would be a painless process. From the time I got through to dispatch to being dropped off in front of my building, it had been 30 minutes. Exhausted and annoyed, I fell asleep knowing that I would not be using the cab company again.

OPINION

Fifty Shades of Grey defies typical Hollywood style

By Lilly Hanson | Feb. 16, 2015

I hate to give the best-selling book and box office hit movie, “Fifty Shades of Grey” any more time in the spotlight, but there are a few things that need to be said before the movie becomes old news.

OPINION

Stop complaining about Valentine's Day and embrace love

By Mario Puig and Owen Desai | Feb. 16, 2015

While Valentine’s Day has passed, I’d like to express my opinion on the day all about love. While I have been very single for the past 18 years of my life, I’ve never felt alone or sad on this day. I was always distracted by the candy and presents my parents would give me, everyone around me was also single and, as a guy, I don’t get a lot of the pressure from the media to feel alone on Valentine’s Day.

OPINION

Legalizing drugs will solve more problems than it causes

By Hae Rin Lee | Feb. 15, 2015

The illegal drug market causes damage in many developing nations, but there are two countries with major drug booms: Afghanistan and Myanmar. Both countries have a long history of being ravaged by endless conflicts. Amid great confusion, the opium market has bloomed. In Afghanistan, many farmers carry massive debts from the drug traffickers after receiving their help during the start-up period. Unfortunately, most end up never being able to pay the money back as government raids often destroy the crops that were promised to the drug dealers as payment. If such unplanned obstacles appear, many farmers are trapped between two extreme solutions. They either give up their family to the drug dealers for collateral, or they have to flee their land. Both options are very dangerous, and many find themselves taken as hostages or killed. The government intervention of directly destroying the opium fields has turned out to be highly ineffective—farmers encounter desperate troubles that can only be solved through extreme means. The illegal drugs also help give power to militant groups such as the Taliban. They control the opium market and continue to strengthen from its profit. While the fields are getting destroyed, there are new fields created to make up the loss and the efforts of the government only victimize the poor. Therefore, the Afghan government is being ineffective in solving the problem.

OPINION

Morning classes increase efficiency

By Marisa Bernstein | Feb. 15, 2015

The first day of a new semester always holds so much promise. If I’m going to be honest with myself, I was excited to have a fresh start. First semester was certainly a learning experience, and now, as a second semester freshman, I was sure that I knew everything there was to know about college.

OPINION

Feb. 14: a chorus of bad reminders

By Lilly Hanson | Feb. 11, 2015

If there is one thing I have learned from being single my entire existence, it is that holidays are the worst. Well, I’ve also learned that being single gives you more hours of free time to sit around looking your absolute worst without being judged. But holidays are most definitely the worst times to be single, because everywhere you look it seems that everyone else is… not single.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Walker’s budget cuts sacrifice UW-Madison’s prestige

By Former Rep. Marlin Schneider | Feb. 10, 2015

The German philosopher Schiller once said “Mit der dummheit kampfen die Gotter selbst vergebens,” which means “Against stupidity the gods themselves war in vain.” Such could be said about the current attacks by our governor on education in general and the University of Wisconsin in particular. The Governor opined recently that the faculty should just “work harder” while he moves to cut $300 million from the University’s budget.

OPINION

Judicial elections obstruct neutrality

By Max Lenz | Feb. 10, 2015

On April 7th of this year, the state of Wisconsin will have a general election to select candidates for a host of different offices at the state and local levels. These elections, given the time they occur, are often forgotten, but feature offices that should not be (i.e. mayor of the city of Madison). One of those offices is that of justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In this specific election, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley (incumbent) is running against James P. Daley, a Rock County Circuit Court judge. Normally, I would malign at the fact that this was yet another election that no one was paying attention to, but this is different. If only for the fact that judicial elections are inherently idiotic.