Sean Hoey

---

Democrats still alive in 2014 midterms

Central African genocide could be the next Rwanda

Monday marked the 20th anniversary of one of the world’s most horrific tragedies after World War II—the Rwandan Genocide.

Let's address climate change

Whether you like him or not, it’s hard to argue with the fact President Barack Obama’s first term as president was actually fairly successful. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, nominated two Supreme Court Justices to the bench, repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, passed a massive economic stimulus package and, of course, was the first president in decades to accomplish real health care reform—just to name a few. However, as he himself admits, there’s one significant item on his agenda for which he’s failed to gain traction: global warming.

US lacks easy solution to Ukraine crisis

Thanks, Obama! Russia invaded the Ukraine over the weekend, and as is their favorite pastime when things run amok, Republicans in Congress have fired a barrage of obtuse and scornful quotes at President Barack Obama for his failure to do, you know, whatever they’re complaining about on that given day. Most recently, they’ve rebuked the president for not being assertive, for weakening the country’s military, for failing to lead the international community and so on—what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called “a feckless foreign policy where no one believes in America’s strength anymore.”

Democrats must embrace, support and defend the Affordable Care Act

Putting together a piece for your enjoyment and consumption this week, I found myself oddly strapped for ideas. My liberal, opinionated self somehow was totally transformed into a normal human being. Last week, I wrote about #SochiProblems, and the week before, it was the minimum wage—what else is there to opine to my vast readership?

We must not forget Russia's political problems amidst the splendor of the Winter Olympics

Hurrah! The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi last week (cue Olympic Fanfare), demonstrated our strong international unity while at the same time put on our ardent nationalist spirit. Of course, with the honor of the attention of the entire world, no other nation has the ability to express its pride and history more than the host nation, which, in this case, is Russia.

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.

Republican evolution still necessary

Squish! You might remember that sound. That was the sound of the vanquished Republican Party under the feet of Democrats in last year’s general election. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney—a formidable, moderate candidate who ran on the far right to win his party’s nomination lost to President Barack Obama, failing to win nearly all swing states. This, too, was the case in Congress. Democrats won nearly every important seat in the Senate, like that of Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri, where her opponent famously asserted women’s uteruses have magical powers to undo the pregnancies of rape. They even reigned in Indiana, a state Gov. Romney won, after Sen. Joe Donnelly’s opponent made similar comments about these pregnancies being “a gift from God.” President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress trounced their Republican opposition despite the intense winds of the economic downturn blowing against them.

Voters must hold Congress accountable

Yes, indeed, two weeks ago, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, released the 2014 working schedule for the House of Representatives. Down nearly three weeks from last year, the House will work—drum roll please—113 days next year. No, this is not a typographical error. Your patriotic, dedicated, democratically elected members of Congress, while enjoying a cushy $174,000 salary and gold-plated healthcare benefits, will work for a total of 113 days next year.

Students need more civic engagement

The Daily Cardinal editorial board released an opinion piece Tuesday, Oct. 29 encouraging University of Wisconsin- Madison students to fulfill their democratic obligation and take part in the local elections approaching this coming April.