Nick Miner - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Health care should not depend on non-profits

By Nick Miner | May 12, 2010

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Students should question authority

By Nick Miner | Apr. 13, 2010

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Torture never justified in war

By Nick Miner | Jan. 13, 2010

There are a good number of people who believe in the hypothetical situation that torture is justified in the ticking time bomb scenario. That is, a nuclear or biological weapon is about to detonate and kill thousands, maybe millions of people.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Obama is right to weigh options in war

By Nick Miner | Dec. 3, 2009

In a recent interview, Dick Cheney attacked the president for “agonizing” over the Afghanistan strategy, saying: “Every time [Obama] delays, defers, debates, changes his position, it begins to raise questions: Is the commander in chief really behind what [the military has] been asked to do?”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republican Party needs to realize all politics are local

By Nick Miner | Nov. 30, 2009

The Republican Party has recently drafted a Purity Resolution. If passed, any candidate seeking support from the Republican National Committee would be required to support at least eight of the 10 resolutions named by the committee.

OPINION | COLUMNS

US keeps moral high ground with trials

By Nick Miner | Nov. 22, 2009

Last week, the Alligator published contradictory views on whether trying Khalid Sheikh Muhammad in New York is the right move. Unfortunately, both pieces missed some of the most pertinent questions. Before addressing these, it must be said that I feel trying Muhammad in New York is the right decision. Don’t get me wrong, he in no way deserves the protections we are providing him.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gay marriage is inevitable

By Nick Miner | Nov. 15, 2009

Gay marriage recently suffered a devastating setback in Maine. This loss was made all the worse because it not only amended the constitution to outlaw gay marriage, it was also in a state that previously allowed it.