WITH A hotly contested election drawing near, there is a great deal of debate concerning who will protect basic American freedoms over the next four years.
MOST OF the e-mails in my inbox and a majority of the letters to the editor I see are from readers complaining about something written in a column or an editorial. Opinion pages naturally draw criticism.
'TIS THE season for housing headaches. Bewildered first years trudge through apartment complexes off streets they've never heard of, strain to think of reasonable questions about plumbing and parking passes to ask overworked real estate agents and plead with parents that it is absolutely necessary to pay hundreds in utilities costs because "everyone lives off Grounds." It seems that leases are being signed earlier and earlier each year, by students who are less and less likely to be familiar with all their options and more likely to rush into a living situation with new friends they hardly know.
LAST MONTH, USA Today reported that over half of us students here at the University come from families which earn an income of over $100,000 per year, while a full fifth of us exceed the $200,000 mark.
THERE has been much talk, among citizens, students and even on the pages of this newspaper, that voting is a useless exercise.
THE LATE Justice Stanley Reed, when one of his law clerks would argue for an expansive view of the Constitution in order to achieve desirable results, would refer him to the dictionary to look up the word "kytocracy," which means "government by judges." Reed was a member of a now nearly extinct breed: a New Deal liberal who strongly opposed judicial usurpation of the power of the legislative branches.
IN A COUNTRY that is hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs and with a union membership rate at its lowest percentage since the Depression, you cannot make a decent living without a college degree, and the money you earn will probably be proportional to the quality of the university and your choice of a degree.
WHILE President Bush has been criticized for many ofhis policies, too few people have questioned President Bush's biggest domestic policy failure. Indeed, while issues such as gay marriage or stem cell research will be resolved within the next few years, President Bush's half-trillion dollar budget deficit threatens to create a climate of higher taxes, reduced government services and lower economic growth for decades to come. Furthermore, although President Bush may try to blame the deficit on Sept.
ON MONDAY, Oct. 11, I was able to attend the final concert in the MoveOn.org political action committee's "Vote for Change" concert series.
IN LIGHT of Washington, D.C.'s exorbitantly high water lead levels, and the disgraceful efforts of local officials to cover up evidence, one would assume that a bipartisan effort would be led to ensure safe water nationwide.
IN THIS year's first presidential debate, television shots from behind his podium showed a boxy bulge on the back of President Bush.
AS THE pundits analyze who "won" the vice-presidential debate by looking at who sighed the fewest number of times, a deep undercurrent is running through liberal America.
WHEN JOHN Adams said that the vice presidency was "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived," he was not talking about the same institution that Dick Cheney inhabits today.
MANY UNIVERSITY students are clueless when it comes to constructing a career path after graduation.
EVER WONDER where your student activity fees go? At Yale, some University funds are funneled to a "Sex Week," complete with lectures such as "The History of the Vibrator" and "How to be a Better Lover," as well as an appearance by porn star Devinn Lane and free "adult toys" for all.
AS AMERICANS vote in November on such important issues as war, the economy and health care, citizens in 10 states will also face referenda to constitutionally ban gay marriage in their jurisdictions.
WITH LESS than a month remaining until the 2004 presidential election, America is saturated with reminders that the most important, patriotic thing citizens can do is get out and vote.
LAST THURSDAY, the American public was treated to an event that only happens every four years: a presidential debate.
YES, HE slouched, he paused and every now and then looked less than enthused to be at last Thursday's first presidential debate.
THERE ARE few things scarier than being within the same square mile as Michael 'I hate America' Moore.
