Columns - The Eastern Echo

Obama's promise goes unfulfilled

By Neil Weinberg · Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010

Last Friday, President Obama held a rare press conference. Among the president’s long answers and defensive responses, NBC’s Chuck Todd asked a simple question focusing on the very foundation of the 2008 campaign that earned President Obama his title. The question was, “How have you changed Washington?” President Obama answered the question by saying he had brought health care to families, fair credit card practices to borrowers, clean air and water to all Americans, tax cuts for the middle class and an overall policy for growth that has put us on the path to recovery.

Do students cheat system for free food?

By Ismael Ahmed · Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010

Are too many college students in Michigan receiving Food Assistance benefits? Are college students scamming the system to get food assistance for which they don’t qualify?

Can stimulus help Obama in 2012 bid?

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010

From the Associated Press to the Atlantic Wire and beyond, President Barrack Obama’s new stimulus plan is gathering the expected amount of controversy and bile.

Oh the places you'll go... in Ypsilanti

By Michael Cassar · Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010

After volunteering to write a column on the best things to do in Ypsilanti, it occurred to me perhaps an article proclaiming the Double Eagle Coney Island at 3:30 a.m.

American workers pay recovery's price, lose livable wages

By Clement Daly · Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010

It has been a little more than a year since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy and the $1.3 billion in second-quarter profits the automaker recently recorded has elicited jubilation from the mainstream media of the “return of Detroit.” With GM preparing its Initial Public Offering (IPO) of stock this fall, it is worth reflecting on what has occurred. The past year has shown that the forced bankruptcy of GM at the hands of the Obama Administration marked only the opening shots in a new offensive against the living standards of American workers.

Ground Zero mosque a symbol of our ideals

By Neil Weinberg · Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010

The man, money and motives behind the Ground Zero mosque are enough to justify moving it elsewhere. At the very least, it seems this mosque is disrespectful to the memory of those who died at the hands of religious extremists nine years ago this week.

AAUP Strike for raises poor taste in hard times

By Sammy DeMarco · Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010

Welcome freshmen and returning classmates. Many of us are anxious to begin classes, especially after the short-lived strike scare last week, resulting from a contract dispute between the EMU American Association of University Professors and administration officials.

Modern conservatives forget tradition

By Michael Cassar · Monday, June 28, 2010

Primaries are an odd thing. Blanche Lincoln found herself combating organized labor in Arkansas, while Nikki Haley of South Carolina was the target of two unsubstantiated allegations of infidelity and the recipient of a racial slur. But more curious than just local idiosyncratic narratives is the general principle that underlies primaries nationally: the necessity of electing a viable candidate who also protects the party orthodoxy.

General McChrystal's firing justified

By Sammy DeMarco · Monday, June 28, 2010

On November 4, 2008, America overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama United States president. But more importantly, especially during two ongoing wars, they elected him commander-in-chief. As a former U.S. Marine who served during the 1990s, I got very used to seeing pictures of President William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton in most military offices. I know the value of the military chain of command—and it begins with President Barack Obama at the top.

McChrystal deserves second chance

By Neil Weinberg · Monday, June 28, 2010

You wouldn’t expect that putting General David Petraeus in charge of anything would be a mistake. He’s quite possibly the greatest military mind in a generation and certainly one of the era’s most brilliant leaders, but President Obama made a mistake on Wednesday by handing the reins in Afghanistan over to the architect of success in Iraq.

Safety steps good, could improve

By Neil Weinberg · Monday, June 21, 2010

Most of us who attend classes or work at Eastern Michigan University certainly understand what it means when someone says they received a “timely warning.”

Death penalty not necessary

By Michael Cassar · Monday, June 21, 2010

On Friday, Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by a firing squad. The manner in which he chose to die—now outlawed in his state of Utah but allowed for him as someone whose sentence predated the ban—has generated news.

Teachers do not get enough credit

By Sammy DeMarco · Monday, June 14, 2010

When I was in forth grade, our teacher, Mrs. Hite, used to crack us over the head with her yard stick.

Human element risked by replays

By Neil Weinberg · Monday, June 14, 2010

Instant replay. Two words you’ve probably heard plenty of times since Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga tossed a perfect game that wasn’t on June 2 at Comerica Park.

Conservatives forget tradition

By Michael Cassar · Monday, June 14, 2010

Primaries are an odd thing. Blanche Lincoln found herself combating organized labor in Arkansas, while Nikki Haley of South Carolina was the target of two unsubstantiated allegations of infidelity and the recipient of a racial slur.

Gulf disaster reveals U.S. economic woes

By Clement Daly · Monday, June 7, 2010

In the democratic republic, “wealth…exercises its power indirectly, but all the more surely,” wrote Frederick Engels in 1884. “On the one hand, it does this in the form of the direct corruption of officials, of which America is the classic example, and, on the other hand, in that of an alliance between the government and the stock exchange, which is effected all the more easily the higher the national debt mounts.”

Domino's new pizza means hope for U.S.

By Chris Hoitash · Monday, June 7, 2010

For the greatest example of American perseverance, entrepreneurship and drive, few examples of the 21st century are as striking as the new recipe of Domino’s Pizza.

Politicians should stick to beliefs

By Michael Cassar · Monday, May 31, 2010

Following his Republican primary victory in Kentucky, Dr. Rand Paul’s more Libertarian views have come under increased scrutiny.

Opinion: Stop wasting time blaming BP

By Neil Weinberg · Monday, May 31, 2010

Earlier this week, Comedy Central showed a rerun of the South Park episode mocking the global warming hysteria and the Katrina response. In the face of a terrible flood, Stan Marsh asked his father if someone was going to help the people stuck on their roofs after seeing the damage on the nightly news. Randy Marsh, always the stereotype, responded by telling Stan, “[helping the people] doesn’t really matter, son. What matters is whose fault this is.”

Obama's pick adds mystery to Court bench

By Chris Hoitash · Monday, May 17, 2010

The new choice for the Supreme Court has been named, and that name is Elena Kagan. Unlike some other choices for the current vacant Court position, I’ve never heard of her, and I’m not alone.