Opinion - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

Judge Juan Colas' decision is absurd

By By: Steven Nemcek | Sep. 20, 2012

When Chief Justice John Roberts ruled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s mandate provision could be construed as a tax—even after President Obama denied that the mandate was a tax, and even after Congress explicitly removed all language that would indicate that the mandate could be construed as a tax—I was, like most Americans who actually bothered to read the decision, baffled. Roberts’ use of doublespeak to redefine the word “penalty” by denying its dictionary implications of violation of law was remarkable.

OPINION

How can you even think about voting for Romney?

By by David Ruiz | Sep. 19, 2012

The night after the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2011 my palm was burning from all the high-fives I got during and after the game. State Street was awash in Green and Gold fans celebrating in the temperate winter conditions. I remember watching the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State game where J.J. Watt and company steamrolled the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes. The city erupted, students and visitors crammed the bars and the streets until the early morning.

OPINION

Eggs for tuition is just plain gross

By by Kate Krebs | Sep. 19, 2012

Paying for college is rough. That’s not a surprise, and because it can be so expensive, people have to turn to less-than-favorable means of earning money to get through it. Madison even boasts its very own plasma center, where donations are compensated in cash.

OPINION

A few words of advice to whoever eventually takes over The Orpheum

By by David Ruiz | Sep. 19, 2012

Looks like the Orpheum Theater, an icon on the 200 block of State Street, will soon be shutting its doors after being mismanaged straight into the ground. The details of the demise of the Orpheum aren’t exactly clear to me, but I know that a lost liquor license, shoddy booking and inconsistency in every other aspect of running the company surely didn’t help. This is an open letter to whoever sinks the time and money into the next iteration of the Orpheum theater, conveniently organized for you, future owners.

OPINION

Judge Juan Colas should stay his repeal

By by David Ruiz and JoEllen Amato | Sep. 19, 2012

Late last week Judge Juan Colas struck down major portions of Act 10, the law that severely curtailed how public employees can collectively bargain. Judge Colas argues that the implementation of the law violates the constitutional rights of state employees, specifically the rights of free speech, association and equal representation under the law. Colas views Act 10 as illegally denying public employees the rights afforded to workers who earn their wage in the private sector.

OPINION

PETA, despite reputation, could be useful on campus

By Whitney Newman and by The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Sep. 19, 2012

We have all heard the stories of the extremes members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have gone to in order to turn heads and call attention to incidents they determine to be animal cruelty. So upon learning of PETA’s accusations that a UW-Madison animal research lab violated animal welfare laws while using cats to perform brain experiments, many of our initial reactions were to question the legitimacy of the claims. But while the group is controversial and sometimes disruptive, we welcome its insight onto our campus.

OPINION

Netanyahu is not pulling any U.S. strings

By by Zac Pestine | Sep. 17, 2012

There are two holidays that I absolutely love, that I eagerly anticipate each year: Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. This past summer was the first time in my life that I was not able to celebrate the American Independence Day within United States’ borders. As a second semester junior, I chose to study abroad. After a long and careful search for the right program, I discovered that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem appositely fit all of my wants and needs. Consistently esteemed in world rankings, in the heart of a land that I love and a region I wanted to learn more about, and equipped with easy access to Europe for vacation getaways, H.U.J.I. appeared as an easy choice for the place I would spend my semester. But as my travels there extended until July 9, I was forced to celebrate the Fourth of July there.

OPINION

Letter: Cabs on State Street keep students and community safe

By by Dan Statter | Sep. 16, 2012

As students at UW-Madison, time spent on State Street is a large part of the Badger Experience. Students working, living, and enjoying themselves on State will carry those experiences with them for the rest of their lives.

OPINION

Political issues should not lead to dismissing others

By by Noah Phillips | Sep. 16, 2012

China and Japan might go to war. A few days ago, Japan purchased some islands off the coast of China. These islands are disputed territory between the two countries. Yesterday and the day before, Chinese streets were filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters. Japanese stores have been looted. Japanese people living in China have fled. The protesters are demanding that China declare war.

OPINION

Walker cannot play nice with others

By by Kate Krebs | Sep. 16, 2012

The battle over collective bargaining continues. Dane County’s very own Judge Juan Colas declared aspects of Act 10, Gov. Scott Walker’s baby, unconstitutional last Friday in a case brought by the Madison Teachers Union and Public Employees Local 61. Colas based his ruling on the discriminatory nature of the law, which caps union workers’ wages but leaves their nonunion counterparts totally untouched, among other things.

OPINION

Obama administration has plans for the Iranian threat

By by Zac Pestine | Sep. 13, 2012

A few weeks back, I wrote an article pertaining to the threat of an Iranian nuclear program. Attempts to cripple the success of their program, which most world intelligences believe to be aimed at attaining nuclear weapons, have failed. If red lines are not drawn to deter the Iranian nuclear program, one of the most sinister governments in the world will possess arms that can destroy hundreds of millions of human lives worldwide. I also wrote that, although under no circumstances should Iran have these weapons, a Cold War is much more likely between the West and Iran than a nuclear one. But that does not mean that red lines should not be drawn.

OPINION

Conventions, laughable but here to stay

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Sep. 13, 2012

The political convention predates the Civil War, but since the presidential primary system was enacted it has lost most of its original political purpose. Conventions today serve as pep-rallies, filled with pageantry and rabble-rousing; their purpose now is energizing the base and gaining (positive) press coverage for their party and their candidate. Although there are unsavory aspects to the political convention, it is here to stay.

OPINION

Compromise needed to solve economy

By Tom Walsh and By: Matt Beaty | Sep. 12, 2012

If you look at poll numbers, pundit columns and anywhere else in the news, you know now is the golden age of Bill Clinton. According to Gallup polling, 69 percent of Americans view him “favorably.” Clinton’s Democratic National Convention speech was the most “ooh-ed” and “ahh-ed” over, leading to people wanting him to be “Secretary of Explaining Stuff.” Even many Republicans, including Mitt Romney, have been caught testifying of the 42nd president’s greatness.

CAMPUS NEWS

Conservative presence growing on campus

By Scott Allen and By: Steven Nemcek | Sep. 12, 2012

On September 11th the University of Wisconsin-Madison Student Organization Fair was held at the Kohl Center, and I had the opportunity to work at one of the organization booths. Over the course of the fair, which was three hours, thousands of people passed me, and after a while I started noticing a prominent trend that made me very optimistic for Wisconsin’s future. There is a conservative wave sweeping this state that will turn the liberal agenda of fiscal irresponsibility on its face and lead to a new era of prosperity, both for the middle class and especially for recently graduated college students now entering the workforce.

CAMPUS NEWS

New sexual assault program relates better to students

By by Kate Krebs | Sep. 11, 2012

University Health Services has taken it upon itself to create a brand new sexual assault awareness program titled Tonight. The program is an interactive video that asks students to evaluate situations and reflect on how they would react.

CAMPUS NEWS

Preventing violence should be a priority

By Daily Cardinal Staff and The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Sep. 11, 2012

Those with the power and responsibility to look after the public’s safety are faced with a task of epic proportions. The job is never done, and any progress seems to eventually roll back down the proverbial hill.

OPINION

Official review for police shootings needs to improve in Wisconsin

By Steven Wishau - The Daily Cardinal and by David Ruiz | Sep. 10, 2012

Earlier this summer, Wade Page opened fire at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek Wis. The first reporting officer, Lt. Brian Murphy, was shot 15 times before another officer brought Page down with a rifle shot to his mid-section. Footage from the officers’ dashboard cameras was released yesterday, allowing the curious to gain a more complete image of the grisly scene and the role the two officers played in ending the attack.

OPINION

E-Books cheaper but with drawbacks

By By: Nick Fritz | Sep. 10, 2012

UW-Madison and more than two dozen other higher education institutions are taking part in a project to evaluate the use of e-books and other electronic alternatives to conventional learning. The idea is to look at the impact e-books have on student learning and interactions between professors and students.

OPINION

Obama is the right leader to deal with tense Middle-East

By by Zac Pestine and By Andy Kerber | Sep. 9, 2012

With the presidential election looming in the not-so-distant future, several key issues remain effervescent within the news. Clearly, headlines regarding the economy are inescapable, and abortion, healthcare and gay marriage ride just behind in its wake. At the same time, international policy, an arena that also demands much attention, garners its share of media coverage. And with the Middle East as politically charged as ever, we look to our fearless leader, our commander-in-chief, el presidente, to guide us past murky waters.

OPINION

Economic assumptions damage society

By by Noah Phillips | Sep. 9, 2012

As we move through the world, there come times when we can’t help but interact with other people or make decisions. When this happens, I would argue that we rely on two things (among others) to see us through the trying process: our assumptions and our values.