Opinion | Letters To The Editor

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Dove World pastor should ashamed for displaying hatred

It would seem that Dove World Outreach Center has a pastor appropriately named. Having viewed the video of his hate-filled rhetoric concerning a runoff election for mayor of the fine city of Gainesville, I believe that the minister in question, Wayne Sapp, definitely is one. Hatred in the name of Jesus is simply unbiblical, hypocritical and unacceptable. Shame!

Bright Futures should stay merit-based

Bright Futures should not be a need-based scholarship. It was merit-based not to reward students for being successful in high school, but to entice those successful students to stay at Florida schools.

City needs to focus on gender equality in workplace, not in bars

The city’s actions prohibiting bars and restaurants from serving ladies’ nights specials are anything but an anti-discrimination attempt. If the city wants to stop promoting stereotypes and societal divisions, maybe it should focus its efforts on making sure that men and women are treated equally in the workplace, especially in matters of equal pay for equal work.

Bright Futures has become a middle-class entitlement

I bet the view from your ivory tower is quite lovely. But let’s put in a little perspective. Many people who have been proponents to the raising of the Bright Futures standards come at it from the idea that it is there to reward hard work, good grades and service.

Reform is constitutional

Bright Futures raise acceptable, but not enough

This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I’ll say it: The increased minimum scores for Bright Futures is the first step to fix it.

Health care is only start of much greater war for the United States

In the days following the signing of the crown-jewel of Democratic domestic policy, the Alligator’s Editorial Board, its gallery of columnists and other esteemed members of the media have been touting victory for the president in the 100 Years War for universal health care in the United States.

New bill will give enormous power to American federal government

Mr. Will Penman,

Health bill will lead to entitlement

I find Will Penman’s Wednesday column urging conservatives to move on absurd. If you, Will, are going to write against your ideological archrivals, please make some attempt to understand them. May I do some explaining?

Raise Bright Futures standards

Look at what has been on American television and what has been popular in American music for the past decade. Look at the countries that have been the most innovative in mathematics and physics for the past two decades; America is no longer one of them. Look at the American manufacturing machine and how it has been struggling for the past three decades. The list can go on.

Samberg show disappointed

OK, so Andy Samberg is funny. Unfortunately, not as funny as many expected. With a lot of the crowd leaving before he finished making his last weird face or avoiding his last question in a strange voice, it seemed the event didn’t quite live up to SNL dreams. The Q-and-A setup might have been rather interesting — I am personally addicted to “Inside the Actors Studio” — if Andy had actually answered a majority of the questions. His attitude, dress and request that no pictures be taken (what am I supposed to do with all that empty space in my OMGsPrING2010 album on Facebook?) made Andy appear less like the silly, fun guy who sings about jizzing in his pants. I’d personally like a $72,000 refund.

Accent mishandled Samberg show

With deference to Andy Samberg, last night’s event was disappointing to say the least. Let me preface this by saying that if you don’t think $72,000 is a lot of money, just stop reading and check out today’s crossword.

New Bright Futures standards will hurt everyone

I think the idea that the Bright Futures Scholarship Program is going to hurt minorities is ridiculous. It is going to hurt everyone. I’m a white, middle-class female, and I took the ACT three times before finally reaching the goal of 100 percent. I feel like we set a low bar for minority students, when in reality they have the same potential to achieve these scores. As a future teacher, I believe everyone can learn, and it’s about time everyone adapted that principle. The purpose of Bright Futures is to help hardworking students afford college. It’s an incentive. Bright Futures is trying to refrain from giving out such an incentive by requiring higher scores, but that makes it difficult not just for a certain group but for everyone. Minority students are capable, very intelligent and can achieve similar, if not better, scores than their Caucasian peers.

Columnist ‘too objective’

Matthew Christ: To which political party do you belong? I couldn’t tell after reading yesterday’s column. Maybe if you had spent a few words glorifying one of the two parties, I could have figured it out. Perhaps some shameless, ruthless bashing of all things related to your political opposition would have helped. I turn to the opinions section of the Alligator to see stubborn opining, not acceptance and compromise.

Bright Futures changes match purpose According to the Florida

Bright Futures Scholarship Program’s Web site, the scholarship was created in 1997 “to reward students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding to attend postsecondary education in Florida.”

Columnist impresses reader

I’ve been reading your paper for a long time, and I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed an article so much.

Frat boys: Stay fratty

Last time I checked, there wasn’t a campus fashion police task force, and that’s the beauty of America and the public school system: wardrobe freedom for all. CJ Pruner, it is rather unfortunate that you’ve utilized your Alligator staff writer privileges to deem yourself some sort of faux authority on what people should be wearing.

GDI’s should shed graphic T-shirts, jorts

CJ Pruner’s column published Monday was a shameless attempt at Greek-bashing in what he described as, “some hippie rag of a newspaper.” But, while we’re in the spirit of critiquing others’ wardrobes, there are some pressing matters I’d like to address.

Health care bill will have small effect on students

Forget health care reform hysterics. The real drama occurred after the actual vote on Sunday night, during a debate on a procedural measure offered by House Republicans.

Student Alliance party thanks student voters for passing resolution

I want to publicly thank several student senators who reached across party lines Tuesday night to help pass the Student Alliance’s resolution calling for a grand jury investigation into the shooting of UF graduate student Kofi Adu-Brempong. The Unite Party’s leadership repeatedly tried to make amendments to the bill that would have watered it down to the point of meaninglessness, even over objections from numerous members of the public who came out to support the resolution.