Opinion

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Threat of terrorism an exaggeration

Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, professed that “if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.” Our elected representatives, Democrat and Republican alike, have spent the past dozen years verifying the potency of this observation in relation to the supposed existential threat posed by terrorists around the globe. One can, on a daily basis, pick up a newspaper or turn on the television to find solemn intonations from congressmen on the menace of so-called “Islamic terrorism,” and the consequent increases in government power needed to stem this threatening tide. While such assertions dominate our public discourse, rarely do you hear any evidence to substantiate such claims. Once a belief becomes orthodoxy among our two major political parties, the usual need to provide evidentiary support goes out the window.

Abandon the drug war and the anti-gun rhetoric to keep America safe

To avoid using statistics like a drunken man uses lamp posts—support rather than illumination—we should take a different look at the philosophy of gun ownership in America. It doesn’t take a statistics professor to see that the prohibition of drugs in this country has played a major, if not the largest, role in the prevalence of gun violence here in the United States.

Malala Yousafzai, at 15 years old, is a modern-day hero

I often think that I am a 1-percenter, perhaps not in the fiscal sense, but in the notion that I am probably more blessed than 99 percent of people in the world.  Without going into great detail, I have just about everything I could possibly want in this world: a loving family, a wonderful and supportive group of friends, an incredible academic institution, sound financial backing and so on and so forth.  

Religion and science's intersect explained

One day, while at work, I made a joke referencing evolution. My coworker laughed at it, but then turned solemn and said, “But seriously, you don’t actually believe in evolution, right?” The question took me aback and sparked a half-hour-long discussion  about science and its place, or lack thereof, in religion. The problem my coworker had was he belonged to a Christian denomination that practices biblical literalism. This is the idea that the Holy Bible used by Christians was word-for-word inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is therefore infallibly correct (note that there are other versions of this idea and not all Christians who consider themselves biblical literalists will agree with the definition my coworker was using). Because of this, he was obligated to believe Earth was indeed created in six days by God and on the seventh day God rested and all was as it ever would be. Genesis says so and Genesis is infallible. Many of us have probably had a similar discussion and I think it is important to take a moment to look at the issue. There isn’t sufficient space in one opinion column to cover every detail and aspect of this issue, so you can expect me to cover different parts of it in the coming weeks. Today we will look at a basic overview of the problem.

State cuts to UW System hurt low-income students

The University of Wisconsin System recently released data confirming what students attending the state’s public universities already knew: The Great Recession and subsequent cuts to the UW System hurt students, and hit low-income students the hardest.  In an era when Wisconsin should broaden both financial aid to students and funding to state universities to help students stay in school, the legislature has narrowed both—and not without consequences.

Popularity of FIFA video game making soccer relevant in U.S.

FIFA, the popular soccer video game, is changing the way college students view the real sport.

Increase in minimum wage necessary

In the State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama proposed increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour. This is a good idea that would raise the standard of living for millions of Americans and help minimize loan debt taken on by college students.

Mental health money a helpful red herring

Gov. Scott Walker recently announced plans to propose a $29 million increase to mental health services in the state. Of the $29 million, $10.2 million would go toward expanding community-based care programs for individuals with severe mental illnesses and $12.5 million would fund two new treatment units at Mendota Health Institute. While Walker said the proposal is not solely intended for public safety purposes, discussions surrounding mental health began in response to recent mass shootings nationwide.

Incentive-based funding for schools leaves some behind

Most people reading this are familiar with the American education system. Having the privilege of being woken up early every morning, brainwashed by radical liberal educators and arbitrarily judged on our intelligence is an experience shared by almost every child in this country. Education, I believe, is one of our most important political issues, as it paves the way for progress in the future. Because of this, I have much interest in Gov. Scott Walker and his education efforts. Recently, Walker announced his plans for a new set of reforms. In the spirit of transparency, I feel it necessary to note my mother is a teacher and I participated in the anti-Walker protests here in Madison two years ago, so admittedly I am biased against Gov. Walker. Despite this, I sat down and tried to take an objective look at his proposals. Upon shallow examination, I rather liked some of it. It encourages reading and seems that it would improve teacher training. Quickly, however, I found something to object to. Walker’s reforms propose a system that rewards schools based on test scores. This isn’t a new idea. It’s already quite present in education funding. While I agree that it is important to reward achievement, I believe it is much more important to give aid to schools that need it rather than those that “earn” it.

Senator Ron Johnson stuck in campaign mode to the detriment of state

Man, I feel terrible. I had this whole thing planned out where I was going to formally introduce myself and my thoughts to everyone out there. But Ron Johnson just had to ruin it. The senior senator from our home state put on quite the speech over the weekend. Here’s an excerpt from this glorious display of oration: “Let me describe what we’re up against as conservatives, as patriots, as people who like freedom, as people who like this country... We are up against a strategy that is taking place by liberals, progressives, Democrats, whatever they call themselves nowadays, Socialists, Marxists... .” Now not only is this comparison offensive to Marxists, it also has absolutely no place in politics. It’s incredibly divisive and casts much doubt on whether he is fit to do what it takes to become an at least decent senator for our state. But this speech just underlines the larger problem with Ron Johnson, the fact that he might just be one of the worst senators in the history of Wisconsin politics.

Letter: stalking awareness and support needed on UW-Madison campus

“Alex and Sam, both sophomores at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, previously dated for about a year. Despite their break-up, a couple of weeks ago Sam started closely following Alex’s whereabouts on Facebook and began showing up at places Alex went.

SSFC minimally funds MultiCultural Student Coalition

There is a difference between questioning the way an organization is run and holding a bias against what an organization stands for. The MultiCultural Student Coalition should not be appealing the Student Services Finance Committee’s decision to minimally fund them, but instead have worked out a more reasonable budget than $1.4 million.

The Frequency's hip-hop ban is misguided

The Frequency bar recently made the decision to discontinue hip-hop concerts after a fight at a concert early in the morning of Jan. 29 escalated into a shooting outside the club.

Proposed pipeline damaging to U.S.

This Sunday, an estimated 20,000 people will converge on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Relationships not justified by Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day—the one day a year when we’re all expected to spend exceptionally long amounts of time with people we don’t always like and pretend to be interested in things we really don’t care about. Dudes: You have to go through all that trouble to prove that you really do like your partner, despite their abnormally boring stories and obnoxious snoring. Ladies: We spend weeks trying to find the perfect outfit and hours waiting by the door for flowers and chocolate to show that yes, we have somebody special in our lives and we are going to flaunt it.  We all make ourselves up on this one special day as though an entire relationship rests on a silly Hallmark holiday. However, I will admit that I’ve been in just about every stage of a relationship on Valentine’s Day:

Letter: ASM finance committe balancing a thin budget

Not every registered student organization seeks funding from the Associated Students of Madison. If I were to list every group that did not receive funding from ASM the list would be incredibly long because it would include all the groups who did not apply for any of the Operations, Event or Travel grants that Finance Committee allocates as well as those denied funding, which is miniscule compared to the amount not requesting. There are over 800 RSOs on campus and many seek funding in other ways. As to why we are running out of Event Grant funds for the academic/fiscal year, it’s because we have nearly allocated all of it. We have had an exceptionally large number of grants this year because of certain changes outside our control.  The MultiCultural Council changed its funding stream to limit how much it can grant to organizations. ASM Finance Committee changed its policies to help more groups access funding this past year and will continue to do it at the end of this academic year. Also, due to the construction of the new Union Theater, many groups who use this venue events had to contract with other, more expensive venues, including the Overture Center, which has refused to offer cheaper rates.

The papacy, more than just a funny hat

Jose Canseco tweeted 9:03 Monday morning “What all does a Pope do?” Canseco asks an important question, and I don’t think he’s the only one who ponders for what purpose the pontificate exists. With Pope Benedict XVI’s recent retirement announcement, I thought this would be a good time to educate readers on who the pope is, how the office came to be and what exactly papal infallibility is all about. You can use this information to wow friends when the topic of cut-throat Vatican politics comes up, or you can just tuck it away for future use in crossword puzzles.

24-hour news cycle damaging to American political opinions

Conventional wisdom requires an individual to finish his or her dinner before dessert. Even if one must sift through green vegetables, rubbery chicken and bland potatoes, it is still better to eat these things before taking in tasty but empty calories.

Technology threatens future of journalism

Journalism is struggling.  People just don’t read like they used to—at least not in the same way.  The rise and democratization of high-speed Internet access and new devices like iPads, smartphones and Kindles have revolutionized the way we consume information, communicate and, ultimately, the way we live our lives. I still have not-so-fond memories of waiting 30 minutes for my AOL Internet to dial up when I was a kid. While at work this summer, I almost had a heart attack when my phone struggled to load the live-stream HD video of Michael Phelps making his competitors look like fools at the Summer Olympics.

Time for Walker to uphold Obamacare in Wisconsin