Opinion

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Voters are partially to blame for polarized political system

The people will always get the government they deserve. I’m aware of two ways to rebel against our government, the first being an armed rebellion (not a good idea), and the other being our ability to elect who we wish. So when I see people upset with the way their government is functioning, or in this case, not functioning, it asks the question; can we be upset with our government when we are the ones electing them? It’s awful, of course, to think we have caused polarity to get the best of us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t alive when your candidate choice didn’t define you and who to choose was an intelligent, informed decision. As our polarity increases, the candidates are becoming more and more incapable of covering the needs of their constituents. Whoever has the best rhetoric has become easier to elect than someone who approaches situations without bias and can make an informed decision instead of a predetermined one. I believe primaries have played a massive role in this loss of true democracy.

Responsible Action Bill makes student safety a first priority

The state Senate’s Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges reviewed a student-initiated bill that, if approved, would grant immunity to underage drinkers who call 911 to ask for help for their peers in emergency situations involving alcohol.

Rail-based transportation system would benefit Madison

High-speed trains heading north from Switzerland into Germany bend into the Rhine Valley and around the hills and mountains that mark the Black Forest. Approach Freiburg—Madison's sister city—passengers' views include wine vineyards and verdant hills. Inside a sleek white train modem, amenities make for incredibly comfortable rides. Then, over the loud speaker comes this announcement: "Sehr geehrte Fahrgäste, im Kürzerem erreichen wir Freiburg. Ausstieg rechts," or "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriving in Freiburg shortly. Exit to the right." That's the call for departing passengers to leave the train upon arrival at Freiburg's main station.

Long distance relationships can work with planning

Keystone pipeline leads environmental debate

"Climate change is a fact” were the words spoken by President Obama in his recent State of the Union address. Well done, Mr. President. Really, George W. Bush would have never said something that obvious about global warming when he was in office. Still, it doesn’t let Obama off the hook. He can say he’s all for combating climate change, but his words don’t amount to a hill of beans if he doesn’t demonstrate his executive authority on this issue.

Raising minimum wage should be bipartisan goal

By now, you’ve certainly chimed in on the exciting news that last week, in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called on Congress to support legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. As if such a proclamation were not enough, President Obama even upped the ante when he pledged to mandate that contractors pay their federally funded employees such a wage. To college kids like yourselves, the benefits of raising the minimum wage are, well, obvious. Many of us don’t simply choose to but, out of financial necessity, work a part time job during our academic pursuits. Indeed, we have certain needs—you know, food and shelter, in addition to our tuition, which requires some extra income. Yet, these jobs, more often than not, only pay minimum wage or a little more, and despite our laborious work, we still leave college drowning in student loan debt. Needless to say, our college experiences exemplify the need to raise the minimum wage; however, imagine instead of merely working your way through school on an hourly wage of $7.25, you worked a full time job to support an entire family at the same level of income. Each year, you could only expect to earn $15,080, and in no state would you even be able to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. And despite soaring corporate profits and stock prices taking place now during America’s economic recovery, the lowest earners in our nation have barely budged, deepening our socioeconomic inequality. Raising the minimum wage is perhaps the most hands-on approach to mitigating this intense disparity.

America exemplifies diversity

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most prominent symbols of America and is inscribed with this sentence: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Other common American values include equality, freedom and the ability to make a good living for oneself with hard work. Another aspect America is surely known for is consumerism, a not-so-small part of this being the brand Coca-Cola, which has, whether we like it or not, been a most enduring part of American culture and demonstrates one of the ways we as Americans are connected. Because everyone drinks Coke, right? Screw Pepsi. (Just kidding, Pepsi is fine.)

Obama continues to disappoint in second term in office

It takes one a long time to come to a conclusive decision on the success of a presidency. Many people, however, jump right in and have no problem protesting the president even on day one despite the president’s lack of time to accomplish the administration’s goals.  That’s OK, but it doesn’t mean it’s intuitive, well-mannered or well-analyzed. 

Outrage at Russia grows as Sochi Olympics near

The Tea Party poisons America's political system

Ron Paul was great. He was witty, cynical and most importantly, extremely consistent. I loved his ideas as much as anybody, particularily states’ rights on social issues with free market economics. It was a respected platform that had been reminiscent of Barry Goldwater’s ideology to, in essence, keep the government out of our decision-making process within our respective communities and states. Of course, I’m talking about Libertarians. I used to be one, and then I woke up. There is a rather dark side to this ideology in that many of its arguments can be used to cover up discrimination and other reasons for wanting complete privacy. Lets face it  —not everyone who wants privacy is a pothead. The unintended consequence of the reemergence and popularity of his ideals is that once again they have been skewed and exploited by the Tea Party.

Bill for extended height limits hinders city development

A new bill is circulating the halls of the Wisconsin state Capitol to increase the building-height limit from the current one-mile radius around the Capitol to a two-mile radius. Expanded height limits in Madison are entirely unnecessary and major overkill. Even though the bill is being introduced with the best intentions, the outcome is not a good urban-planning move and doesn't do much to help Madison as a city.

Lessons continue to emerge from history's pages

New printing model, same standard of excellence

The Daily Cardinal has seen and covered it all: turn-of-the-century celebrations, wars, assassinations, corruption, protests and back-to-back-to-back Rose Bowls. We’ve covered the news and brought it to you, our faithful readers. Throughout our dynamic history, The Daily Cardinal has been an independent source of news for our primary audience, University of Wisconsin-Madison students. At the Cardinal, our purpose is to present accurate, independent news relevant to students produced by students in a learning environment.

Obama Administration shows numeric improvement in United States' economy

President Barack Obama has now been in office for five years, and his approval rating is in the relatively low mid-40s range. Only about 40 percent of Americans approve of the way he has handled the economy. Despite these low numbers, almost every economic indicator has greatly improved over his presidency, and he has objectively done a great job of managing the economy. There seems to be a disconnect between public perception and the cold hard facts. Perhaps he is being blamed for long-term problems that admittedly require a long-term fix, such as the evaporation of America’s manufacturing base and the decline of wages as a percent of gross domestic product. These problems, however, are not new, and while he should attempt to remedy them, he should not be blamed for something that has been happening for 30 years. The truth is he has improved the economy and I for one, am glad that Obama’s economic policies have been guiding this nation for the past five years.

Obama's 2014 plan needs congressional support

President Barack Obama must feel like an unfortunate casualty of history. A president who came into office with big plans and a Congress who would facilitate the sort of change he campaigned on and surely believes in, but who has been met by unforeseen challenges and as of late, marred by seemingly insurmountable congressional bickering. Yet he knows he can’t make excuses. With only two years left to put the finishing touches on his legacy until history (the ruthless, unforgiving critic that it is) passes its own judgement, there is nothing left to do but be bold. And that is just what he seems to be doing. As a man known for calculated maneuvers better suited for a college professor than a politician pursuing an agenda of  “change,” Obama has come out swinging in 2014.

Letter to the editor: Non-traditional students should be better accommodated

On any given brisk fall day around the UW – Madison, you’re likely to see the campus teeming with so-called traditional students: students in their upper teens or lower twenties, laughing with friends as they walk to class or running to catch the bus or sipping on coffee while they study. Nothing about those students is out of the ordinary—they fulfill our traditional definition of “college student” and they no doubt belong at the University. When we see somebody walking down University Ave pushing a stroller and wearing a backpack, however, we start to feel a bit uncomfortable. A student who is a parent is dissonant with our accepted definition. The same thing happens when we are sitting in class and a middle-aged student raises their hand to ask a question. The people who complicate our understanding of “college student,” in the aforementioned and other ways, are specifically known as non-traditional students.

Letter to the editor: Food truck owners continue to plead for expansion

I’m greeting customers in front of Fried & Fabulous when a woman approaches followed by a man.  He’s being sexually aggressive.  She doesn’t know him and it’s pretty clear that the answer is no.  The line of people at my food cart band together with me to tell him to go away, and he does. 

Prison growth lacks moral fortitude

Tinder and the controversy it creates

Before we get into the dirty details of Tinder, let us first explain the app itself for those who are unfamiliar with it. Tinder is not a dating app. Rather, Tinder is an app used to meet people in your area. By annonymously likeing or rejecting profiles, only shared likes of one another can interact. This annonymous judgment essentially does away with open rejection because you can’t ever know if that “perfect ten” swiped a nope or they simply haven’t had the priviledge of finding you in the Tinder universe yet. It can essentially be used to date, hook-up, befriend, or form any type of relationship you’d like to form with those nearby. The creators of Tinder call it “the new way everyone is choosing to meet new people,” and the New York Times went as far as to say “The application is clearly addictive.” We are conflicted as to how we feel about it, so we have decided to create an open forum of debate which may be able to help you decide to Tinder or not to Tinder. Tinder has different reputations among different people. Which one does it deserve? Tell us what you think of Tinder.

New and improved, The Daily Cardinal welcomes Badgers back

Welcome back, Badgers! For those of you who are still in denial, second semester is already here, and it’s time to get back to the daily grind. While you may have been in hibernation mode, The Daily Cardinal was out and about still bringing you all your news. We were all over the coverage of the new UW System President Raymond Cross, and our sports editor traveled to Florida to bring you play-by-play news of the Capital One Bowl and the Badgers’ loss to the Gamecocks.