Opinion

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

By Alligator Editorial Staff | July 16, 2008

"Oh, we're halfway there…" Three weeks, ladies and gentlemen. That's all that's left of summer B. Soon some of us will be graduating and making our way out into the real world. Or, failing that, crashing on our parents' couches for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, considering the current state of the economy, the latter is looking increasingly likely. More on that later.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Energy column lacks factual backing

July 16, 2008

Joshua Simmons' column "Liberals have it wrong on energy policy" was just more false and misleading talking points from the Republican Party playbook. I'll take them on one at a time.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reilly errs with choice for Chomp

By SAM JONES | July 14, 2008

I laughed out loud when I read the latest story in the Alligator about the Student Senate once again filling a critical position in Student Government with an empty chair. The treasury job was so important to Paul Drayton that he would fill it faithfully -as long as nothing better came along. Now we learn that Student Body President Kevin Reilly, in his infinite wisdom, has decided the best person to get UF students to register to vote currently lives in Washington, D.C. On top of this, the appointee in charge of getting all students to vote, regardless of their political affiliation, happens to work for the Republican National Committee. Katherine Harris would be proud!

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Liberals have it wrong on energy policy

July 14, 2008

Even if you're the consummate hippie, walking or biking everywhere, you've probably felt the squeeze of skyrocketing oil prices. The price of electricity, food and practically every consumer product imaginable has increased due to the historic spike in oil prices.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Senate wrong to confirm Chomp director

By Kyle Huey | July 14, 2008

I voted against Brett Roth's confirmation as Chomp the Vote executive director during Student Senate deliberations last week. In what is likely to be the most pivotal election of our lives, we cannot afford to pass up the opportunity to register as many Gators as possible. Unfortunately, I fear that Student Government may have done just that.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Scooter restrictions will protect students

July 14, 2008

EMILY APPLETON, 7HP

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Forgotten War: Troops pay for leaders’ mistakes in Afghanistan

July 14, 2008

As violence in Iraq has decreased significantly over the past several months, President Bush and Sen. John McCain have been quick to attribute the sharp decline in U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties to their troop-surge strategy and claim that victory in the desert quagmire is now within reach.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Inefficient biofuels need closer look

July 9, 2008

BRANDON SACK, Speaking Out

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Inefficient biofuels need closer look

By BRANDON SACK | July 9, 2008

Late last week, The Guardian newspaper of London reported a leaked study from the World Bank that concluded that biofuels are responsible for driving up worldwide food costs by 75 percent â€" just a smidgen higher than the Bush administration's figure of 2 percent to 3 percent.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Keep an open mind on offshore drilling

July 9, 2008

I just have a minor point in response to the July 1 editorial decrying offshore drilling entitled "Risky Business." I applaud the editorial board for showing what Floridians have to lose if the law is changed. However, just because the stakes are high doesn't mean the option should be rejected without further consideration.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New scooter restrictions are misguided

July 9, 2008

UF Transportation and Parking Services has decided to restrict scooter drivers from driving through campus for the safety of pedestrians. This has reduced the amount of scooter parking close to the center of campus.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Unbelievable: Obama’s flip flops fly in the face of change

July 7, 2008

As the economy worsens and the war in Iraq drags on, it's no wonder that almost 80 percent of Americans believe we're heading down the "wrong track."

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Columnist should review Argentina’s past

By BILL BRYSON | July 7, 2008

Brandon Sack is right that the U.S. could learn much from Argentina. But rather than use only his two-week trip as perspective, I suggest we look at significant events over the last 100 years and the administrations of both Mrs. Kirchner and her husband.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Bill seeks to revive public service

July 7, 2008

As the state of Florida and America move past the presidential election in November, beyond an ailing economy on the brink of a recession and headlong into the future, the country lies on the cusp of a crisis garnering little attention.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Social activism won’t solve all problems

By Paul Anderson | July 7, 2008

In response to Brandon Sack's July 1 column entitled "U.S. could learn much from Argentina," I have just a couple of questions: What happens when social activism goes wrong? If you want to see activism go too far in a Western nation, just look at France.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

July 2, 2008

Fire up the grill, and light up the sparklers and fireworks. It's time to celebrate America's birthday! Independence Day provides Americans young and old, of all races and religions, backgrounds and regions, the opportunity to do what we excel at: enjoying copious amounts of red meat and alcoholic beverages and, of course, blowing stuff up. But before you get started on those burgers, brews and combustibles, we at the Department of Darts and Laurels offer you this week's red, white and blue edition of …

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

U.S. could learn much from Argentina

By BRANDON SACK | July 2, 2008

For the past two weeks, I was down in Argentina on vacation. This has kept me far away from my usual regimen of American politics and news. But while there, I found that Argentina's national political scene is almost as hard to stay away from as the red wine and grilled beef.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Risky Business: Offshore drilling threatens Fla. ecosystem, economy

June 30, 2008

It is nearly impossible to find a silver lining in $4-a-gallon gasoline. But if one is to be found, it is in the fact that skyrocketing prices at the pump â€" and the resulting anger and discontent felt by Americans from sea to shining sea â€" are forcing our politicians to finally have a much needed debate on what should be done to solve the nation's dependency on foreign oil.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Dart & Laurels

June 18, 2008

Summer break is within sight, and it comes not a moment too soon. We at the Department of Darts and Laurels have been waiting with baited breath for the chance to recharge our collective batteries with a week of rest and relaxation. However you choose to spend your downtime next week, we hope you will play it safe. With that said, it's time for the last-of-summer-A edition of …

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Tragic Gitmo ruling threatens America

By BRANDON SACK | June 18, 2008

Last week, the Supreme Court turned its back on the American people. In a 5-4 ruling, the court held that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have the right to habeas corpus. In English, this means that prisoners are allowed to hear the evidence against them, and President Bush is prohibited from declaring anyone an "enemy combatant" and detaining them indefinitely without charge.