Opinion

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David Hookstead needs to shut up

In a recent Letter to the Editor published in the Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin-Madison junior David Hookstead outlined his feelings on the increased crime around campus. He proposes three steps to take to help lower crime: prioritize police attention, allow students with conceal-carry permits to carry guns on campus and for people to travel in groups specifically for women to travel in groups with a man. The latter two steps he offers are ridiculous proposals. Although I agree with him regarding the prioritization of police attention, his thinking on access to guns will likely create more problems than they solve and his assertion that travel in groups with men is what will protect us ignores the reality of circumstances around lots of crimes being alluded to.

Democrats should change tax agenda

In the process of running for office, every politician has to face the unavoidable question: are you going to raise taxes? So of course, as part of her new stint in politics Mary Burke was inevitably forced to answer the pesky tax question with the press. For Democrats like Burke, the question is cause for quite the controversy. The dilemma is to enact their programs. Democrats need a source of more revenue, but no politician wants to support raising taxes, especially a candidate running for election. So how do they say they’re not going to raise taxes when they really plan on doing so? Burke awkwardly answered that she would avoid raising state and local taxes but that she would make no pledge to actually do so.

Maybe this whole college thing is actually totally overrated

School is a lot of money.

Intervention in Syria may be necessary

To the eyes of the international community, it was nothing less than a Russian diplomatic coup. I am talking, of course, about negotiations between the United States and Russia over the fate of Syrian chemical weapons that took place last month in Geneva. In a situation that appeared to be inevitably spiraling towards United States’ intervention, the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his long trusted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have quietly stunned U.S. diplomats in their pragmatism and tact. The deal, which would allow United Nations weapons inspectors into Syria and create a realistic timeline to destroy all chemical weapons stockpiles, was welcomed by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry remained skeptical about Syrian compliance, and warned that any faltering in the agreement on the side of Syria could result in U.S. military action.

Now is the time for Congress to ‘reboot’ with compromise

In the middle of a lethargic second term in which President Barack Obama and Congress have passed little meaningful legislation, Washington, D.C. has an opportunity to reboot. The narrow aversion of a federal default on its debt and temporary government shutdown have set up a budget conference, which is long overdue.

US cannot ignore ongoing gun violence

It is probable people will always strive to adjust to their surroundings. Previously, a large problem with gun violence was that our nation was lulled into a false sense of security between mass shootings. We were appalled by Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook and too many other mass shootings. But as time passed after each horrific incident, we began to be unconcerned about gun violence until we were again shocked into caring by the next mass shooting. But, it seems to me that we may be moving away from becoming apathetic between shootings and instead, we are becoming apathetic toward the shootings even when they immediately occur. The news is filled with so many reports of mass shootings that it’s tempting to put the information out of our minds and focus on something more cheerful. The shootings today happen so frequently that there is no time to become apathetic between shootings, and we instead become apathetic directly in the face of them. We hear so many reports of shootings, and the reports eventually seem mundane to us.

Letter: Biblical translations are legitimate

I want to offer a few responses to Sara Vinson’s thoughtful piece on why the Bible is a poor source of religious authority. Let me say, at the outset, that I fully concur with her that the Bible contains factual errors, internal inconsistencies and some deeply problematic, ethically disturbing content. I am not trying to change Ms. Vinson’s mind in that regard.

Protecting your online reputation allows you to remain employable

Stop posting pictures or statuses about illegal activities on Facebook. According to Nolo-Law for All, two thirds of all recruiters and half of employers research their applicants’ online presence. Employers have been known to turn down applicants because of a negative photo, status or “about” page on their Facebook account.

Marijuana's classification hurts cause

The majority of people overwhelmingly support the legalization of medical marijuana, and by a small margin support full-scale legalization. So I think its time that these policy directors get together and figure out where they are going with this thing. These are two different directions with which Colorado has experimented. I seriously doubt that people who smoke pot would rather go to a doctor, pay him and then go to a store all under the cover that its for medicinal purposes (A lot of the time, it is) than just walk into 7/11 and buy their product. By defining this plant as two different things, both a medicine and recreational intoxicant, we’ve effectively made the road to legalizing both very difficult. Yes, classifying marijuana as a medicine was a smart idea from the start, however the states with medical marijuana programs are now aware of what is going on. They can’t stop someone from lying—they just cant. And the doctor in certain states, such as California, is inclined to give you the required card, receiving money for the approval.

Raising debt ceiling should be solely presidential power

This week Congress agreed to a deal to avoid economic self-destruction. President Barack Obama signed the deal within minutes of reaching the debt ceiling. Unfortunately, this deal did not include any measures to prevent Congress from imposing a self-inflicted wound yet again; it was simply a short term fix that punted the problem down the road until January. The debt-ceiling fight wasn’t even pushed back until after the midterm elections. Meeting the debt ceiling would have been unprecedented and dangerous. Because Congress has toyed with the dangerous notion of not raising the debt ceiling, the power to raise it should be unilaterally placed in the president’s power.

Religion has no place in party politics

To hear my country was a Christian nation from the beginning and that the Founders intended it to be so forever is utterly ridiculous. Politicians say these things in order to keep their people happy however I doubt they are their own personal religious standards. And to every other person who is not of that faith, you are basically cut out of the picture. Many issues return to our own misunderstanding of our country’s founding principles. Yes, freedom of religion is virtually rule number one. However, the hate that has been instilled amongst people who follow different religions or no religion at all is even more graspable in some cases than in past times. Republicans saying what they need to in order to obtain or keep votes instead of saying something that is factually accurate is not OK, but what else is new? This issue strikes a deep cord with me because so many people are not informed about the topic and make such rash generalizations and conclusions. 

Shutdown shows a silver lining

It seems the tides are turning. We just came out of a shutdown with fingers pointing in every direction at every political figure imaginable. Congress has an approval rating similar to that of Zagat’s rating of McDonalds. To borrow a quote from one of my favorite yet still youthful films I say, “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” Yes that’s Harvey Dent from “The Dark Knight” and no, I don’t care what people think about the fact I used that quote.

High school students need action civics

I remember in high school I had a classmate who forgot what Sept. 11 was. In the 2012 election, less than six in ten Americans voted. A third of Americans cannot name all three branches of government and a third cannot even name a single branch of government. There is no doubt not enough Americans participate in the political process or understand how the American government works. A functioning democracy requires a well-educated citizenry. A Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll has shown over the course of 33 years a vast majority of Americans agree American schools must “educate young people for responsible citizenship.” Yet, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found American students receive the worst test scores in civics and history than in any other subject.

Terrorism by oppressed is not an option

Is terrorism rational? Can it be justified? And finally, is terrorism really a final option for oppressed people to utilize? Many would promptly say the act of terrorism is rational since terrorists exert violence in accordance with clear purpose oppression . Furthermore, despite the argument terrorism cannot be justified because it sacrifices civilians, many believe it is an inevitable consequence of marginalization and oppression exerted by superior power which cannot be challenged in conventional warfare. Then, can sacrifice of civilians be also be viewed as an inevitable result of human history? Is there any other way for terrorists to achieve their goal? In that question lies myriad numbers of assertions and thoughts about terrorism and I would like to share mine; terrorism cannot be a final option.

Gay rights platform has more to worry about than marriage

Same-sex marriage rights remain one of the big social issues of the day. The biggest gay rights news in the United States in the last few months was the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, which allows the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages performed in jurisdictions where they are legal. New updates include renewed attempts to finally get legal recognition of same-sex marriage in New Jersey and Illinois.

Inconsistencies in Bible are a deal breaker

There are a million things that can influence a person’s religion or lack-there-of. For me, it was the Bible. Personally, the translation, interpretation and manipulation makes faith in the Bible as a holy book impossible.

Legislated civil rights for gays will minimize hate crimes

There are far too many issues happening in the world today for us to concern ourselves with who loves whom, and why. There is terrorism, nuclear warfare, global climate change, mass shootings, poverty and hunger, and yet we still have politicians spending their time arguing against gay marriage. The fact is that some men fall in love with other men, and some women fall in love with other women. Why concern ourselves with who people want to love? Love is love.

Burke is the right opponent for Walker

Letter: Medicinal marijuana is not the answer to our health problems

While medical marijuana undoubtedly holds promise as a means to treat a number of legitimate medical conditions, that alone is not a sufficient standard to merit its usage as a medicine. Such a decision should not be made by politicians whether they serve here in Madison or in Washington, D.C. Rather, it ought to be made through the appropriate regulatory processes within the Food and Drug Administration, as all other decisions regarding medicinal approval are made.

Values questioned through shutdown

A couple weeks after the partial shutdown of the United States’ government, the American public’s confidence in our two-party system is at an all-time low. Parks are closed, tax audits have ceased, food inspections are slowed and our nation is inching closer to defaulting on our obligations. If this picture sounds bleak, it should. While this fight may have started because a few principled house Republicans decided to put their foot down on President Barack Obama’s health care law, it has transformed into a highest-of-stakes game of chicken.