In recent weeks, we have seen natural disasters and incidents that have irreparably stained many parts of our nation.
Sens. Andy Gardiner and Mike Haridopolos introduced two amendments to a bill in the Florida House of Representatives that would restrict women’s access to abortion. The bill and the two amendments passed in the House and Senate last week. Florida now waits for Gov. Charlie Crist to either sign or veto the bill, which has not yet come to his desk. Once it does, he has 15 days to decide.
On Tuesday, the Alligator published an article by Bryan Griffin who argued for a larger role for non-profits in the American health care system. This article was not only full of blatant contradictions but naive in the extreme. Mr. Griffin was arguing that the health care system would perform better in private hands, he just forgot that non-profits are heavily dependent upon the government and are not private enterprise. In his attempt to discredit the new health care laws he actually made an argument for an increased government role.
Debate is important. Especially when it comes to something as vital as health care. But when it comes to debate, as one senator put it, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”
This week, the director of the Congressional Budget Office announced the health care legislation is going to cost about $115 billion more than expected. This brings the total in health care spending up to about $1 trillion — so far.
As someone who is fascinated by the U.S. Supreme Court, I’ve been consuming every bit of information about President Obama’s recent nominee, Elena Kagan. Unfortunately, it seems as if the Alligator’s Editorial Board has not consumed even half of that information.
Students pay anywhere from $200 to $2,000 a month in rent, and what do we get in return? Apartments that are filthy and in disrepair. I had several issues during my tenancy at one particular community. For one, the management was unwilling to repair a broken window. I requested to have it fixed every week for four months, but it never happened. When I returned from winter break there were dead bugs everywhere in my bedroom. That was my breaking point. I learned a lot from that experience and would like to share that knowledge with my fellow students.
During the next month, the Obama administration plans to release a new health care bill of rights, and the buzzword within appears to be “force.” The bill details how government is either forcing people to have coverage or forcing companies to cover them. For a country of free markets, there appears to be a growing number of limitations and rules.
I don’t want to scare anyone, but there are crazies walking among us. Even worse, over the past year and a half, they have become more and more visible, showing up at rallies across the nation to protest the government, and just about anything in between that procreates.
I’m sure all of you are over those sappy, sentimental goodbye columns. However, you’ll have to suffer through one more because I’m the editor and have control over the paper. Therefore, I can do what I want.
Since I graduate in about a week and a half, I think now is a good time to say goodbye. Some things you say goodbye to are things we’ll all need to say goodbye to. Farewell, increasing tuition. Some things you say goodbye to are special to my class. Farewell, Tim Tebow. And some things are more personal goodbyes. Farewell, Professor Shoaf. This is a mix of all of those.
Ah, my last column of the semester — and my last semester at that. I suppose this is where I get all sentimental in my undergraduate reflection, perhaps mustering enough good will to radiate advice out to some of the younger Gators among us. How quaint that would be, but any knowledge I’d be kicking wouldn’t exactly be worthy of an AAA rating. Plus, I’m not that generous. I guess the matter comes down to just how cliché I’m willing to allow myself to be. Answer: very.
My thesis partner, Roman Safiullin, and I recently reached a compromise with UF to include video footage shot for our thesis film in post-earthquake Haiti after the recent UF travel ban had been imposed.
Guess what, folks? The scientists are at it again. No, they’re not doing sciencey things. They’re busy promoting Al Gore’s global warming Ponzi scheme.
This weekend Gainesville will be visited by protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. This group is known for their protests of military funerals, contempt for homosexuals and other groups.
Recently, a video was released by WikiLeaks from an unknown source showing the killing of Iraqi civilians by American troops from an Apache helicopter July 12, 2007.
Modern students are not interested in learning. They are interested in passing their tests and getting good grades. It doesn’t matter how much you know, it only matters how well you regurgitate information. Why has American education devolved to this point? One reason is the loss of American industry to foreign countries with cheap labor. This has constricted the job market, making a college degree much more important. Employers give preeminence to the institution. Thus to get into excellent schools, you have to have top grades. Yet is there also a cultural backlash against questioning authority? The 1970s saw massive student protests that played a pivotal role in our withdrawal from Vietnam.
It’s a scary world outside. Past the comforts of my tiny, messy dorm room, danger lurks at every turn. People from foreign lands plot to wipe me and my country off the map. Even getting into a Toyota is akin to dancing with death. Or that’s at least what the media would have you believe. To me, news today has increasingly become a stream of cautionary tales and exaggerated warnings.
I try my best to remember that everybody has a story.
Solutions by The State News
